Eien no Kessoku
by IAmNotANut
Summary: People change as seasons do, but still they unknowingly cling to the ties they've made. When they are lost, when they hide, when they run—no matter how dark the hour—they will find each other again. Regardless of the paths they take, the end will be the same. Together they will venture to the unknown and into something more. A story of Konoha and those bound by fire.
1. Clash of Color

Here I am, IAmNotANut, again! I'm not good at introducing my self so I'll make this quick. I have completed one story on fanfiction (Faded Cherry Blossom) and that was going to be it… until I got annoyed with all the ideas dangling in my head. So here we are. WeAreNuts…

**Rating: M** for violence, offensive language, and sexual situations (or references. I am _not_ skilled at writing lemon so don't expect it!)

**Playlist : **The song's name is basically in all caps and the artist is in parentheses…

Feel Good Inc. (Gorillaz), and What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost (Taking Back Sunday)

Disclaimer – This disclaimer stands for the entirety of the story. I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. Nor do I own any of the songs mentioned in the following chapters. They belong to their respective artists and companies.

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Clash of Color

* * *

The winter had come too soon. Fall was frozen before the leaves could escape the branches, even before they could change their color and grace the world with shades of gold and red. On a great tree, a proud tree that rose above the rest in his small cluttering family, withering green leaves dropped like flies, weighted down by snow and ice. The only beauty in this was the frozen rain that coated everything in a breathtaking glass. Every few seconds, in the ridged silence, a melting drop would fall into the snow.

Footsteps crunched and grew louder in an approached to the monstrous tree. They stopped just in sight of it and gazed up. In the silence, ignoring the pellets of freezing water still falling, wispy puffs of air whooshed out of the tree's visitor in fleeting clouds and she placed her hands in her coat pockets casually. The cold didn't bother her. That might not have been true if she didn't have a thick red scarf around her neck and a padded jacket over her shoulders. The black material had amazing insulation for its size and appeared –even with the clear signs of heavy use– to be very durable. Her pants were black also but the tailoring was a different style, they were close fitting but it was clear that the fabric's flexibility was almost limitless to the wearer. Metal shin guards followed and lastly were the slender black boots with tough, yet bendable, soles. The visitor strode up to the tree, trying to silence her footsteps in the snow, and placed her palm to the trunk. The sleeve of the heavy coat slid up her arm slightly to reveal metal guards on her forearms. The warrior's getup was nothing short of inappropriate for the extreme weather conditions. Ignoring that fact, she let her lids shut and her long lashes rested for a moment.

The corner of her red lips turned up. The feel of the tree's rough bark through the glove soother her somewhat. This was a good old tree where she had spent a lot of time in her recent years of studying, sparing, and escaping troublesome tasks. Her smirking lips parted and a quiet sigh slipped by as a puff of white. Her hair was ruffled in winter's simultaneous exhale and pink strands flew into her face. Her ears perked when above her she heard something crackle like breaking glass. Snow fell only feet from her in the same instant and her eyes snapped open to reveal her startling, crystalline jade eyes. Their clarity was like that of ice but also alive as if a fire was flickering beneath. Her head snapped up and her gloved hand flew from the tree's side to a small khaki pack where a back pocket would be on her pants. Her fingers, without slowing, unzipped the bag and wrapped around something unseen due to the coat that fell back against her.

Her eyes narrowed as she searched the branches until finally they settled on something familiar. Her figure relaxed, releasing the item tight in her grip, and she re-zipping the bag.

"It's a little cold to be sitting in the tree, Kakashi." She teased.

A chuckle was her response.

Then the girl smirked and placed a hand on her hip. "But it isn't too cold to read porn, is it?"

"It's a graphic novel." He corrected jokingly. "But, no, it can never be too cold for that." There was a flash in the tree, snow and shards of ice fell and disappeared into the gathered snow on the earth. Then, a few yards from the girl, a man landed gracefully with a head of silver hair almost as white as the snow. His visible eye, the other was hidden behind his forehead protector, was crinkled in a smile. You wouldn't know he was grinning otherwise because the other half of his face, nose down, was covered by a black mask. Kakashi's green vest looked cozy but a still little chilly for this degree of weather. His long-sleeved shirt was also a little low for the girl's standards even if it gave her a great opportunity to ogle at his toned arms.

Kakashi noticed. With a sly look in his eye he spoke again, bringing her back to earth. "What brought you here, Sakura? Other than to stare…"

Sakura glared, partially embarrassed that he had seen. She pushed onward and _tried_ to change subject. "Winter is so beautiful this year…" She sighed again, looking around, and shrugged. "I couldn't help myself. Is it so wrong to admire nature?"

He caught her blunder. "It depends on what part on nature truly holds your interest." With that Kakashi turned on his heel and started to walk away.

It was just in time, too. If he had stayed a second longer he would have seen the blush –originally from the cold– spread to cover her face. She waited for a moment as he gained distance from her so she could re-gather her senses and finally trudged after him. He heard her coming and stopped to let her catch up.

"So, why were you out here?"

Sakura looked up for a moment in thought and failed to notice Kakashi staring at her in a bemused way. "I was actually hoping I'd run into you somewhere."

"Ah, well you've accomplished that."

"I'm leaving for a mission soon." She finished.

A tree they passed suddenly dropped a bucket load of snow off its branches.

"I see." Kakashi looked ahead of them. The path they walked on hadn't been shoveled yet and the snow was deep but further on he could actually see the stone road leading into town. He looked at her outfit, the sleek style was only meant for one thing in Konoha. "Black Op.s, I'm guessing. How long will you be gone?"

"It could be a while…"

Kakashi hated it when she'd beat around the bush. But after years of dealing with her he knew from that response that it 'It could be a while' translated as 'it could half a year to a year.'

"Have you told anyone else?"

Sakura laughed at this. "Whose there to tell?" She looked up at him, a smile in her eyes. "Everyone is off somewhere, doing some job. You're basically the only person I socialize with at the moment with Naruto gone."

Kakashi put his hands in his pockets. "That's not true. Ino and Shizune will be worried."

"Ino?" She scoffed. "I'm sure you'll tell them if they really start to freak, ne?" She shrugged it off. "Besides, Tsunade will tell Shizune eventually."

Kakashi sighed and, slowly reaching up, plopped his hand down heavily on her head. "Is it really that bad?" Before she could respond, as if she would, another bracing wind attacked and the kunoichi shivered.

His hand slipped down on her shoulder and pulled her into his side. "What part?" She answered; now warm enough from the contact to put together feasible sentences. "It really isn't that big of a deal for me to tell people I know. But shinobi go on missions all the time so it's more likely to make them worry if I tellthem that I'll be gone. They'll think something's up and that would just cause me grief, ne?"

"Is something up?"

"No." She had an unconfirmed look on her face. "It may be a long mission but it's worth it…" There was a meaning in her words that Kakashi didn't understand. "And it really shouldn't be that difficult." Uneasiness slipped into her last statement.

And as usual, Kakashi noticed. "What is it?"

She gave him a skeptical look as if to say 'it's against protocol' but he recovered with a bored look that read 'Honestly, Sakura, when have I ever followed protocol.'

The visual argument continued. 'But it's against the rules.'

'Friends are more important than rules, you know that. Now stop being stubborn and tell me.'

Eventually she gave in just as they stepped onto the path clear of snow. "I'm trailing a group of rouge ninja. We're observing them and hopefully we'll uncover some information on their plans. It has to do with the Akatsuki, we're not really sure about how close to fact it is but that's what we're trying to figure out."

"Who are they?"

_He's straight and to the point, as usual…_Sakura ignored the question as they turned onto the street.

Kakashi slowed down and with his arm around her he forced her to stop with him. He took his free hand and gently turned her head to face him. "Who is it." The look in her eyes was unmistakable. His expression changed from serious to concern. "Ah…" He muttered under his breath. "Sasuke…" Kakashi released her shoulders and trudged ahead of her.

Sakura stayed and sighed loudly as he stormed off probably to confront the higher-ups. _What a kid._ Once again, she ran to catch him.

Back to where they began, the old tree shivered in another wind and it rained leaves with dark viridian still within the glass.

* * *

A black cloth whipped in the air. It followed the calm evening breeze, twisting and flapping in rhythm with the gusts. It was wrapped around the forehead of a young man. His blond hair was spiky but still long enough to fall into his face. Attached to the cloth glinted a metal forehead protector. The setting sun reflected its light into it. Below thin blond brows were crystal clear blue eyes. Their purity and playful innocence would charm any who met them. His face had on it three marks on both cheeks. They could be described as whiskers and it wouldn't seem so out of place with the way his eyes squinted like a fox's. His mouth was pulled into an impish grin.

The blond watched the sun set slowly over the horizon. His baggy jacket of orange and black was closed tightly because the black sleeved shirt underneath provided little warmth on its own. His matching orange pants were rolled down and the black strip at the hem blended with his black shoes. He was in a crouched position. His forearms were resting comfortable on his knees and his heels were slightly lifted. The sky was clear except for the occasional cloud that was swiftly pushed away by the wind. Thankfully the light provided warmth. But in the light, as it was, the clouds almost appeared red.

_Red clouds…_ He sighed to himself. For the first time as he perched there in a tall tree, his smile faded. _The Akatsuki are probably looking for me…_ Suddenly he grinned. _Not like they'll ever find me out here…_ He laughed to himself. Then he exhaled soothingly. His bristled golden locks wavered in the breeze and he tilted back his head. _I want some ramen…_ His head fell and his chin rested on his chest at the thought. _I _really_ want some ramen_

He thought of the unpleasantly plain meals of bread and water awaiting him in his backpack. The blond had recently begun his travels again where home cooked food wasn't accessible. He was returning after two years of training with his former teacher just like before. But this time his sensei was tired of fighting and didn't return with him. _I don't really blame him. He's almost sixty, the old perv…_He chuckled at the thought of the last words he exchanged with him.

…

_One day the two were sitting on the deck of the little house they shared when, after remaining in silence for hours staring at the mountainside, the Sannin turned to his student and spoke, almost in a worn out way. "I have nothing more to teach you, Naruto." More silence followed. What can a pupil say to his master after something like that? The blond could only nod. "I want you to return to Konoha. I'm sure Tsunade is tired of being Hokage by now." He chuckled._

_"I don't know Ero-sennin, Obaa-chan isn't going to stop as easily as you are."_

_Even so, by the time the sun was setting that evening Naruto had packed his things. "Arigato," The blond rubbed his head, showing how awkward this was for him. He never was good at saying goodbye. "Ero-senni–"_

_"Stop calling me that!" The old man shouted. It was humiliating enough that his student had surpassed him. Calling him a geezer was pushing it. _

_"Gomen, gomen!" Naruto laughed. It was a forced habit. Suddenly the man reached up and rubbed the head of his apprentice._

_"Good luck, kid." His weary face gathered another smile and Naruto quickly obliged with a confident response._

_"See you around," The old man waited for the nickname that he had rightfully earned. _Ero-sennin, Ero-sennin, Ero-sennin…_ "Jiraiya…" Before he could react the young man escaped from his fatherly gesture and stood away from the house. "Ja!"_

_"__Itte rasshai …"__ Jiraiya's white hair was blown by a sudden draft. "Naruto."_

…

The blond was relaxed by the memory. His breathing was deep and he suddenly felt exhilarated by the beautiful evening. He looked below at his backpack that resided at the base of the tree. He gauged the distance to the ground and decided it wouldn't hurt to jump. So he did and landed as softly as he could manage. Then, in the shade of the many trees and falling leaves, he plucked his pack from the earth and followed the dirt road before him.

Night had come sooner than expected. _That's what I get for stopping for so long…_ A laugh escaped him. He had been in a good mood lately. Just the thought of returning home seemed to brighten his entire outlook. But, as always, there was still a little worry in the back of his head.

The Akatsuki, a group whose intentions of conquering anything and everything it could were much like the late Orochimaru's, were striving to complete their most prominent goal: find and extract all nine legendary bijuu. Their plan of action after their goal was achieved was still unknown. The eighth bijuu was still missing and Naruto would be hunted next as soon as it was sealed. This would buy Naruto _some_ time but he knew that the battle with the Akatsuki was inevitable.

The young man would have no problems with his demon's extraction if there wasn't one permanent side effect… death. This had almost become the fate of a good friend of his, the Kazekage of Suna, Gaara.

Naruto had gotten news almost a year ago from his first sensei, Imuno Iruka, that the villages of Konoha and Suna had officially solidified the peace between them. If only he passed through Suna to get home. Maybe a welcoming party would be called for and he could have some good food for once. Jiraiya wasn't a great cook. This gave Naruto the opportunity to learn to make an assortment of dishes on his own but the ingredients around them were limited and so were the different combinations he could master. Training with Jiraiya had taken them far to the west and ramen wasn't that common there. All the while they had been gathering information together about the Akatsuki and the remnants of the Sound village along with the intense training the Sannin put him through at any spare moment.

Naruto's reminiscence was quickly put to an end when the warmth of his camp fire put him to sleep. The food sitting at his side was practically untouched and the lid of his canteen was still securely fastened. The boy shuffled in his sleeping bag and a light snore was emitted from him. His sleeping face was almost cute and had a hint of shyness that was never shown when he was awake. The Jinchuuriki slept for now, lightly, even of his loud snore said differently.

…

Suddenly a chilly breeze snuck into Naruto's sleeping bag. It hit his bare chest and made him shiver. The tree's leaves, unlike those in Konoha, displayed a pallet of colors from a sunset. And even though there hadn't been a flake of snow yet, winter was surely coming.

"Kuso… it's freezing…" He moaned grumpily, pulling the blankets closer to him. His blue eyes slid open and he peered from beneath the warmth. The sun was yet to rise but he knew he had to wake up. In an angry flurry Naruto threw off the covers and grabbed his long sleeved shirt to throw over himself before the heat got out. He stretched and shook away his drowsiness. Suddenly a breeze shook his body and he took up the blanket, wrapping it around himself. Even though Naruto's eyes wished so much to stay shut he kept them slightly opened as walked across his camp sight so he wouldn't trip over his possessions. His blond hair was flat on one side and served as evidence that proved he had an undisturbed sleep. As if on cue Naruto shook his head, releasing his hair from the humorous position. He scratched the back of his neck then slid his hand down, massaging his shoulder, and rolling it loosely as he did. When this ritual was done he picked his jacket up that had rested by his bag. He pulled it on groggily and yawned. He decided it was still too early to put the blanket up again and kept it around him as he, while yawning yet again, rolled his sleeping bag up.

The young man tied it to his backpack when he finished. Then he picked up the stones that had surrounded his campfire and scattered them along with the remaining ashes. When Naruto was pleased with the work he had done he threw the pack onto his shoulder and left the site. He left it as if no one had slept there in the first place.

_It's better to be safe than sorry. That is if the Akatsuki _are_ trailing me._ He yawned for the third time but it was followed by the loud grumble of his stomach. _I'm not that hungry…_ He lied to himself. His stomach protested against the statement. _No!_ He rallied back, trying to think of anything but food. Then with a surrendering sigh he gave in to his stomach's wishes. _I _really_ don't want to eat water and bread again…_ Naruto looked around. _I'll find something in the next market I see. _He felt the urge to climb a tree and see how far the nearest town was but after declaring it a waist of energy he resisted the temptation. He could clearly recall, after a moment of concentration, that the nearest village was only four miles out.

"Wouldn't you be proud, Kaka-sensei…" He muttered mockingly. Then he laughed. Years ago his impatience would have ruled over common sense and he would have climbed that tree to uncover the exact same thing that he could have remembered after a moment of thought. "I'm not such a baka now, eh?" His confidence and pride were represented in his grin. Even thought the feat was small many things about Naruto had changed and he had finally advanced past his childish ways for the better as a shinobi _and_ as a person. There wasn't anything in the world that he couldn't face and he couldn't have been happier. He had many true friends and had love in his heart, love that opened his mind. But his life had always been hard up to this point and it wasn't going to get any easier. His rage was activating the Kyuubi's power far more than called for lately.

A few weeks ago Jiraiya made a comment on his (ramen based) eating habits and he freaked out and went to his three tailed stage. He nearly ripped his teacher to shreds and it took about ten minutes of fighting before Jiraiya apologized and Naruto returned to normal. Depending on his moods, he might even go straight into the fourth.

He knew that the terrifying battle over the control of his mind, along with the Akatsuki, was imminent. There had always been a little controversy between him and the Kyuubi at times but never had it there been such hostility about it. The Kyuubi's frequent appearance was becoming dangerous for the jinchuuriki and any who happened to be around him when the demon broke loose. His shishou had a collection of scars from where he had to literally knock some sense back into the demon possessed boy. That was partially the reason why he left. He knew that his sensei was getting older and fighting Naruto wasn't making life any easier for him. He was a big enough hazard as it was with the Akatsuki trailing him. It would be stupid to think that they wouldn't kill anyone who got in the way of his retrieval.

Sometime while on his trip home Naruto had decided that he would come to a truce with the Kyuubi before it ripped him apart. That would be placed on the list along with evading the Akatsuki, retrieving more food from the nearest village, and hopefully sending a message to notify his return to Konoha. He sighed at the list that was posted in bold letters in his mind. It wasn't a long list but out of these tasks two in particular were easier said than done.

Suddenly the blonde snapped out of his daydream. He leapt into the air and began jumping from branch to branch, trying to avoid getting slapped in the face by a branch all the while.

The very thought of getting better tasting food make Naruto's stomach grumble and he upped his speed considerably.

* * *

"Don't you think you should wait for Naruto to come back?" The silver haired shinobi gauged Sakura's reaction accordingly. He saw the longing in her eyes to find her old teammate and was silenced for a moment before speaking again. "This won't be an easy mission." He still stared at her, ready for some form of nervousness that he could pounce on and dissuade her with.

"Naruto won't be missing much anyway. It's just some undercover work. I'll be sitting in a tree somewhere in the freezing cold waiting for something to happen. But it shouldn't be too boring." She mused over what it would be like. Kakashi didn't look fazed. "It's not like I'm going alone, Kakashi." She tried to reassure him. "Genma and Akane-"

"_Akane _couldn't protect a tadpole…" He muttered.

"But she is good at covering her tracks. That's what this mission is about like I said." Then she laughed to herself. "I'm actually certain that this is shishou's way of making me advance my investigation and spying skills…"

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was. You're a terrible spy." Sakura pouted in mock anger. He smiled at that then sighed. "Akane is a master of sorts in that particular category, I admit. And Genma would be a great tutor for other things…" Suddenly he rethought that and it didn't seem like a swell idea anymore. But then again, Sakura needed some exposure to bad behavior.

Sakura played with her scarf absentmindedly imagining sitting in a cold tree for three to four months. "Kakashi, it would be a great if you could come, too."

Kakashi chuckled. "Don't even think about slipping out of it, Sakura. You got yourself into this mission."

"I'm not trying to! It's just-" she stopped the thought before it came out. The thing on her mind was what her reaction would be when they ran into Sasuke. She wanted Kakashi to be there when she saw him again. She gave up on that approach. "I volunteered for this and the squad shouldn't be in any danger if we're smart." Sakura sighed at her failed attempt anyway.

"Just playing it safe doesn't change how hazardous this mission could be for you, Sakura…" he paused. Kakashi had never been one for long conversations but Sakura enjoyed the small torture when he would accidentally let her in on what he was really thinking. "I don't doubt your skills as a shinobi but…"

"It's alright." She gave a small smile. "Even though you're one of the strongest shinobi in Konoha I still worry when you go on solo missions. Naruto always did, even though he'd never admit it to you. We're a team and we're entitled to a little nail biting." She laughed, rubbing the back of her head. Kakashi grinned at her awkwardness. _What an infectious smile…_ His gaze had settled on her features and she boldly stared back, not even thinking of shy glancing away like she might have when she was younger. Things were so different now. She was an adult whether Kakashi admitted it or not. She was turning twenty soon, so he had to recognize it now. She was much stronger, mentally and physically, and though she had little romantic experience, she knew that Team 7 was closer than any couple could be. They were a true family. And since Naruto had left, Kakashi was her only real companion. Sai was still a friend to her but he was hardly around enough for the two of them to get to know each other any better and become as tight with him as Naruto and Kakashi.

"You better go." He whispered, also escaping from thought.

Sakura snapped out of their staring contest and looked around. The sun had almost set. She laughed. "I guess you're right. Shizune said she'd dye my hair…" She instinctively felt her bubblegum pink hair as if saying her last goodbyes to it. Kakashi chuckled and took up the lock of hair falling from behind her ear. He teased it and looked at Sakura for a moment. She watched curiously and was a little startled when he leaned closer and smelt what was trapped between his fingers.

After a moment, Sakura's face was starting to redden. She loved him, without a doubt, but it had never leaded her in this direction. Slowly he brought his head up. "I'll miss it." He looked into her jade eyes with false sadness, still twirling the soft pink hair.

Sakura couldn't help but smile. "But you won't miss me, right?"

He didn't answer as his smirk grew behind his mask. With that he let his hand drop to his side, brushing her shoulder as he did.

Suddenly his mood completely switched and he took her shoulders in his tight, fatherly grip.

"Good luck." His smiling eye returned and the glint of worry was nonexistent. "And don't take too long. It's boring enough with both my students gone." With that he ruffled her hair again and walked past her in the opposite direction.

Sakura turned to watch him go and sighed. She knew why he was so protective even if he didn't really notice he was doing it. Kakashi was a true shinobi. He had fought for Konoha all his life. He had shed blood, sweat, and tears for this country and in doing so he had lost everyone he cared about. Team 7 was all he had other than the friendships he had made out of the people accompanying him on his missions over many years of service. But Sakura knew that it took a long time for others to earn his trust. Sakura was one of the few.

Before he was too far out of sight she gave a small wave as uncertainty took her. "Ja ne… Kakashi."

The forest was frigid. Everything made a sound on contact. _Every_ branch wailed with _every _leap and bound. The coated leaves fell easier and shattered loudly against the frozen earth. Paranoia ensued with every pile of falling snow, insanity was promised for those that couldn't decipher natural racket from a hidden attacker.

Their bodies were cold. Their breaths came in short and were exasperated. Shivers ran up and down the kunoichi's spine when she heard a voice in her earpiece.

"We're stopping for the night." The connection was fuzzy.

She clicked the communicator and spoke in a raspy tone. The cold air dried her mouth. "The sun's still up." The kunoichi protested.

"The temperature is dropping. If we wait any longer we'll freeze." This time a woman responded.

The girl sighed. She knew that already. But there was work to be done and time was against them. Their targets were headed north. If they didn't find them and tail them soon they could end up lost in the mountains. But still she came to a stop and swapped locations over the link with her two teammates. They found each other easily and set up camp. In no time at all a fire was crackling before them.

Across the fire sat a man with brown hair and a mask resembling a dog's face. Shiranui Genma, the leader of the mission had a senbon, replacing the toothpick he usually used as a chew toy, hanging out his mouth. His trademark was accompanied by the bandana around his head with knot in front. He sat with his legs bent and his arms resting on his knees. He poked at the fire with a stick, moving around the ashes and twigs.

Beside him was a woman also with brown hair. But it was much longer and she had bangs that fell over the front of her mask which looked like that of a bird. Her outfit was similar to Sakura's all but the coat. Her trench coat was thin and went down close to her ankles. She grabbed the mask by the nose to slip it off and Hidaka Akane, the last member of Sakura's team, placed it down beside her on top of a bag.

"Hidaka-san, hand me that." The kunoichi muttered quietly and pointed to that bag. Sakura caught it as her teammate threw to her and pulled out another blanket. After wrapping herself in it she scooted closer to the fire. Only the top of her head was visible, but instead of the bright glowing pink hair that would be blown about by wisps of air a silky black took its place.

"Sakura, when we're in the mountains we'll _have_ to stop before the sun sets. It's too cold to stay out in the open air. There will be more natural shelters up there anyway." Genma unscrewed his canteen and took a swig. Something told Sakura that it wasn't water he was drinking. He looked at her for a minute, then to Akane. Abruptly he stood and walked around the fire. "You look like you're freezing, kid." With that he sat down beside her, pulled off his mask, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "How's the new hair?" he asked as he took a swipe at a dangling strand.

Sakura laughed. "It's really weird. When it falls in my face I'm still expecting pink."

His senbon jerked up and down as he spoke. "It's about time Tsunade made you dye it. Pink isn't preferable when you're in the ANBU or any abnormal color for that matter." He chuckled with her.

"I like it natural. Dying it makes it feel fake." She mumbled unhappily while taking up a piece of hair in her hand.

Genma twisted his share of black in his fingers. "It feels fine to me." Sakura looked up at him. Thankfully her jade eyes were just as spectacular, if not even brighter than usual. "I'm glad she didn't make you wear contacts."

Sakura smiled. "You said it. I had to put my foot down for that one." Genma chuckled, releasing her black hair and sticking his hand in his pocket. Sakura covered hers with the blanket. She looked down at it for a second. The air wasn't getting any warmer out there. "You want to share with me?"

Genma gave her a strange look then responded. "Ah, I don't need that wimpy blanket."

"Yeah, sure. Men are _impenetrable_ to the cold."

"Just men?"

"You tell me."

He noticed that his other teammate was just wearing the overly thin coat. "Then Akane would have to be-"

"Don't bring me into this." Akane cut him off.

"Sakura said it."

"You're both being childish. Please remember that we _are _on a mission."

Genma hugged Sakura tighter and whispered playfully in her ear. "Tsunade was smart enough to put a stick in the mud on the team to keep us in line." Sakura burst into laughter.

Akane wasn't as pleased. "Genma, you're doing the first shift and Sakura will be second. I suggest that you both sleep well. We're going to move before the sun rises tomorrow and won't be making any stops once we start." After her piece Akane placed her head on her pack and shut her eyes.

"Oyasuminasai, Hidaka-san." Sakura said quietly.

From under the collar of her trench coat Sakura heard her respond. "You too, Haruno-san."

Once he was sure she was asleep, Genma mumbled to himself. "She's acting like she's first in command." Then he sighed. "The stick-in-the-mud is right. You should sleep. I'll wake you for your shift." He pulled her shoulder his way and Sakura rested her head on him. It was getting further and further into the night and Sakura could feel her eyes getting heavy.

"Get any ideas and I'll pommel you."

Genma held up his hands in surrender. Immediately Sakura felt the cold invade again. "I'll be the perfect gentleman."

"I trust you; now put your hands back before I freeze." She commanded half-asleep, but in a lighthearted manner.

"'Night, _Kuro_-chan."

Her green eyes closed before she could retaliate.

* * *

There we are. First chapter is completed! I know that there is another long story with the title 'Bonds' but I will keep my plot as original as possible (It shouldn't be too hard). If only you knew what was in store for you… Bwahaha:3

For the utterly silly, look up what Kuro means. That goes for any other word you don't understand.

You have read… now review!

IAmNotANut


	2. Breathing In

Playlist: Breakdown (Breaking Benjamin), and The Quite Things That No One Ever Knows (Brand New).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Breathing In

* * *

Kakashi looked up into the sky. _Sasuke…_

He had been told by the Hokage that Team Hebi was moving into the mountains, most likely to cover their tracks. When they thought it was impossible to find them an anonymous tip was received from someone on the border. The spy reported that Sasuke's new team had entered Fire territory. However an immediate retrieval team couldn't be dispatched because the spy also noted that one of the members was unique and could identify chakra from miles away therefore pinpointing the location of any nearby shinobi. Any ninja that got near them would be noticed and Sasuke, would without a doubt, flee the country. The only option was to send in ninja with precise chakra control to serve as spies rather than the brute strength needed to _defeat_ them. However, if Konoha could anticipate Sasuke's next move, the ninja that would have been discovered otherwise could set a trap in the awaiting area where Team Hebi wouldn't be unable to run. Then finally the capture of Uchiha Sasuke could be completed.

And hence, Sakura was sent.

The other downer was that Naruto wasn't there to help. There was no doubt that the blond shinobi would be pissed if he knew that Tsunade was plotting Sasuke's recovery without him. But Naruto had a long journey still to travel and it took at least six weeks to two months to reach Konoha. The treacherous Earth Country would be very hard to maneuver through and that would likely slow him down. But if he didn't get mutilated in there first all he was left with was the calm, simple trip into Grass Country before slipping into Fire. Sakura asked to send a message to Naruto but the only way to communicate with him now was through messenger hawks. If finding a location to send the bird wasn't hard enough, it would still be too dangerous to send a Konoha crested message where the Akatsuki might spot it.

Just then a screech echoed in the cold sky and a large brown bird flew over the pondering Kakashi. He assumed, due to its large size and sleek form that it was a messenger bird. Automatically he looked for an emblem of some sort identifying the village of origin but he saw none. The bird sailed on in the frigid winds and swooped straight into Konoha, headed for the 'birds nest' where other conveyor birds were relieved of their messages.

Kakashi sighed and pulled out his orange book. He pushed aside the messenger hawk from his thoughts. It was probably a request for some ninja protection for a small town in the west. He didn't need to be concerned. Tsunade would undoubtedly send some Genin team for a mission like that.

The snow was thinning out again. The silver haired shinobi sat quietly as the sun snuck away from the clouds and sent a wave of heat over him. Suddenly he was immersed in comfort. The biting cold was lessened greatly, his eyes shut, and he leaned against the tree.

Kakashi dove into the book. It was a little hard to concentrate with the Akatsuki running around in his mind. The fact that there had been no activity from them worried the shinobi. He was hoping that Naruto was clear out of their path and the Akatsuki were left trailing a false lead somewhere much like Konoha might be doing with this whole Sasuke ordeal. Then again, the Akatsuki could just be waiting, knowing where Naruto was headed. All they needed was Naruto to start moving. Hopefully the blond wouldn't do anything foolish before he got home.

A voice broke his chain of thought. "Kakashi."

"Damn it." He grumbled. Just when he had gotten comfortable he was being called to attention. He recognized the voice as Naruto's first sensei, Iruka. "I was hoping that I could stay a little longer before someone smoked me out."

"You're lazy as always, Kakashi." His brown ponytail blew in the wind. But Iruka barely noticed due to his tan overstuffed coat. Kakashi couldn't help but laugh.

While still sitting in the tree he teased Iruka. "You look cozy."

"It's a little big but it's better than freezing my butt off."

Kakashi chuckled. "It makes you look like a burnt marshmallow."

"Get down here…" Iruka changed the embarrassing subject.

"No. I'm very comfortable, believe it or not." Kakashi flipped a page of his book.

Iruka heard it. "What are you doing?"

"Reading."

The seemingly pure nin was hoping to trick Kakashi into coming down. "Can I come up and see?" Iruka put on a puppy dog face and begged innocently.

He imagined the expression Iruka would have after reading his pornography and found himself repressing laughter. "No." Then Kakashi peeked through the leaves and saw the brunette's face. It was a little hard to turn him down.

"…" Iruka looked away, faking a wounded expression. "Can't I come up for a minute? I'll read over your shoulder." Once again, the masked shinobi resisted going down to hug the adorable teddy bear sensei. But the straight man inside Kakashi told him a clear and definite 'no'.

"You would just complain about the cold."

"I would not!" Iruka glowered.

The shinobi sunk down, hiding amongst the ice and leaves. His silver hair poked out over the top. "Yeah, yeah…" Kakashi peered over the branches of the tree.

"So, what do you want?"

Iruka was a bit startled by the question and suddenly remembered his original purpose of coming. "Jiraiya sent something." Before he could finish Kakashi hopped down from the tree.

"It would have been nice if you'd said that first."

Iruka sighed. "You wouldn't have come down. You would have stayed up there to pester me regardless of when I told you." Iruka fumbled around in his jacket and pulled out a scroll.

"Well, we'll never know that, will we?" He commented playfully.

Iruka chuckled as he handed over the unrolled scroll. "I'll remember to try that method next time."

Kakashi's deep black eye scanned over the scroll. After a moment of thought he shut it and handed it back. "I wish he'd have started sooner."

"Why?"

Kakashi started to walk. "Sasuke's been spotted." Iruka didn't walk with him and took a moment to think on it –just as Sakura did only a day ago– then ran to catch up.

"Have they sent anyone yet?" He rubbed his hands together for warmth.

"Yes," Kakashi paused. "Sakura."

Iruka hesitated his next step forward when a flash shock and worry hit him. "Oh…" He followed all the same. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll meet Naruto half way." _Kakashi's mind is a little spastic._ Iruka sighed. Kakashi continued oblivious to the brunette's mental note. "You read that too, right? Jiraiya isn't there to help him." Kakashi's eye was clearly trapped in concentration. He starred ahead of him almost blindly.

Iruka pouted. "Naruto can take care of himself. Getting back home should be a breeze." Kakashi seemed to think so little of his favorite pupil.

"Are you so sure?" Kakashi rebounded. "Taking care of the Kyuubi isn't that easy."

Suddenly Iruka felt stupid. "Right…"

"A not to mention that dodging the Akatsuki or traveling in enemy territory. That isn't so fun either."

"Alright, alright!" Iruka grumbled in embarrassment. "Gosh, Kakashi… Kick a horse when it's down."

"I would kick a horse, Iruka, if it meant getting my point across to oblivious people like you." Kakashi remarked in an authoritative tone. Iruka looked at Kakashi to see of he was just kidding. When the crinkled eyes full of play showed themselves again they broke into laughter.

* * *

Naruto was moving quickly in the forest. Leaves fell all around him in a flurry and it was hard to dodge the bulk of them in the absence of moon light. After weeks of traveling and sleeping in the cold wilderness he had just gotten out of a town to restock his supplies without sleeping in a warm bed… yet again. The blonde's itching desire to reside comfortably and vacation for the rest of winter was almost too tempting to ignore. But it was very dangerous to stay in one place for any time at all especially after the events that took place in that small town he just left.

He knew that he had been in a vulnerable spot to begin with when he set foot into the remote city. He walked right into the relatively vacant street wearing a bright orange outfit with bright blond hair and a bright (not to mention loud) personality. It was hard to not identify him as Uzumaki Naruto.

He had needed supplies but, more than that, he needed a change of clothes. Naruto stepped into an old store and immediately searched for dark colors. He decided he couldn't wear red due to the obvious similarity to the Akatsuki that made his skin tingle and, because it was overly suspicious to any normal person to see someone wearing crimson, he avoided it; white and yellow were a little too inconspicuous to attempt in any place, populated or not. It was much like a beacon flashing from far off saying 'I'm here! Come kill me!'

And lastly, there would be _no _orange. Black seemed to be his only option which saddened him somewhat. His opinion was that a person's attire was meant to match the wearer. Reluctantly he chose a black, closefitting shirt that had a zipper from the high collar that covered his neck to the middle of his chest with comfortable pair of black pants. When he put it on he was sure that wearing such a dreary and depressing color would make him die a little inside so he grabbed a dark gray overcoat that fit him nicely and lessened the blow.

The woman at the desk complemented his selection and, after finding the right size, he bought the outfit. He found it too depressing to get rid of his old clothes himself but he had no further use for them so he asked the woman to dispose of the memorable orange outfit.

The conversation continued between them and eventually Naruto got around to asking if there was any way to send a message out of this town. She gave him a confused 'no'. Before she could question him further Naruto gave her a polite farewell and rushed out of the city.

His only worry now was that he had spent too much time in the town. It should have clicked earlier that talking to that woman wasn't a smart idea and had endangered her.

_Hopefully the Akatsuki aren't headed in this direction. _He hated thinking about what someone would do to that woman just to find his location. The image that stuck in his mind made him shutter more than the bracing winds did. Winter was closing in on him, suffocating him like his new turtleneck.

* * *

The sun was yet to break the horizon. The ice dripped and trickled down to the lowest leaf. But the chilling winds and lack of sunlight froze the droplet before it could fall and created icicles. The snow was at least three inches thicker than when Genma's team had fallen asleep.

Genma was the only one awake. His shift had come around again a few hours back but everything was still pitch black. The fire had been snuffed out by the air and it wasn't getting any warmer. He huddled closer to Sakura who now sat between his legs, snoozing against his chest and pinning him to the tree he was leaning against. The black haired woman slept quietly.

_I should wake them up soon. _He mused.

Genma looked down at Sakura as she slept. She was very peaceful and looked comfortable but her ANBU uniform had shifted during the night and the breast plate -that covered… the obvious- was askew. Genma twisted the senbon in his lips and debated whether or not to do anything about it.

After a moment he reached over her shoulder to adjust it. _This isn't considered groping._ He started to slide his thumb down into her shirt under the plate of metal, right into her cleavage. He fought the temptation to go deeper and started to move the metal slab.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" The question sounded like it came from an agitated grizzly bear as it was waking up. The vibrations of her voice rocked Genma's chest and he froze in fear.

_Shit._

His hand was still down the grizzly's shirt.

"Genma… what are you doing?"

He slowly pulled out his hand and returned it to the safety of his pocket. "I was trying to fix your shirt."

"I don't know if I believe you. Your thumb was pretty far down there." The grizzly's voice was loosing its ferocity and Genma was able to recognize it as Sakura again.

"Ahehe…"

Sakura slowly turned around and glared at him. Her green eyes were smoldering in fury. Genma felt sweat gather on his forehead but thankfully Sakura shot up, pulling off the blanket, and merely kicked him in the shin (without her super strength).

She threw the warm blanket in his face and walked over to Akane.

"Stupid Genma…" She groused unheard.

Sakura's green eyes scanned over the sleeping woman's face. She always hated waking people up. She enjoyed the faces they made while asleep. But all the same she shook the brunette's shoulder and whispered a 'good morning' in her ear.

The woman shot up, almost knocking Sakura's head off, and started to move around the site, picking up and putting away their things. Startled, the raven haired kunoichi watched as the work she would have taken ten minutes to do naturally was finished in a whole of thirty seconds by the half asleep cleaning warrior.

"What time is it?" The cleaning warrior mumbled.

Genma answered, also getting up to pack everything again. "The sun hasn't risen yet. It should be around 6AM."

Sakura got to work. She scattered the fire, piled on snow to the ashes, leveled it, and grabbed her things. An annoying poking in her chest made her twitch and she looked down. The chest plate was still lopsided. Frustrated, she whipped it back into its proper position.

"Damn you, Genma…" Genma was about to turn around at the sound of his name but when he cited who's lips had said it he slowly turned back around and got to his work.

Suddenly Sakura turned sober. Things were going to become tougher. This was probably the best sleep they would experience in the coming months until the mission was completed. Sakura took a bag from her pack containing at least fifteen small weapons she could conceal on her person. Even though they were in Fire Country, there were still enemies they might run into and Sakura needed to be completely prepared for anything. Naruto would never forgive her if she got hurt (but he would soon forget and carry on as usual) because he cared and she knew that. She had to remind herself that they wouldn't be able to bring Sasuke back if her team was injured or weakened on the road. Any obstacles had to be overcome so that their goal could be achieved.

"We're moving out." Genma leapt onto a tree branch as Sakura threw on her coat and tied the mask onto her face. The catlike features replaced her own but her green eyes still glistened behind the white façade.

Genma glanced at Akane. She was already set. Then he looked to Sakura. The kunoichi nodded slowly and she took a deep breath like she was about to jump into water. In a flash, all three nin disappeared into the black forest. The campsite was, like the knowledge of their existence in this place, covered flawlessly in pure snow.

…

Days passed. The weather was worsening with every hour and icy needles of precipitation battered against them. Branches were covered in ice, deadly slick, but the spikes on their shoes held their footing. Their movements were never broad or energy consuming. Every step conserved their stamina. They were elite, there was no doubt. The nights passed like hours to them and the shinobi's steps did not falter. Their path was clear and set in stone, set in _ice_ cast by the whirling skies themselves. Black flashed and accelerated into the oncoming wind as if there was no chill in their bones, as if their joints were not stiff.

"We are approaching the first sighting's location." A female voice called into the earpiece.

"You will report confirmation of our target before we advance." Genma's scraggily command resounded inside Sakura, waking her again.

_Confirmation of our target… _Sakura's eyes squinted in the oncoming wind. _Sasuke…_

The two kunoichi responded in a harmonizing "Hai!"

There were hours of running without rest. There were many days of sleeping in trees for minutes at a time. They ran in the night but even in the lightless sky their steps never slipped on the icy branches thanks to the metal spikes on the bottom on their shoes. She held in her chakra conservatively which felt more like holding in her breath. Her stomach was tight and her gloves stretched over her knuckles as she clenched a fist. She was becoming numb to the painful cold. It wasn't as important as her true goal and she was no longer concerned about if her coat would be sufficient enough to warm her. All that her mind would look upon was Sasuke.

It would be days before reaching the border of Fire Country. It was so close… Sasuke was so close. If only there was a sign-

"Genma-teichou!" Akane's voice was startlingly loud on the mics after hours of silence between them.

"Report, Akane."

Half a month, no, it had been a month of searching and racing to the edge of hope. Sakura's hope was rekindled after a month of wondering if the spy was even telling the truth.

"I sense three shinobi about three miles off."

Genma's mind was attentive. _Only three? Hebi had four members… _Genma spoke quickly. "Do you confirm them as our target?"

"No, I'd need to get closer." Akane's voice held some disappointment.

_Confirmation of our target… _Sakura grabbed the button on her neck and called into the mic. "Direction."

Akane answered confidently. "North-northwest."

Sakura's eyes scanned out. _North-northwest._ She reached out her chakra fingertips, only taking in and not letting any energy send a ripple into the space, a warning for their targets.

Akane spoke again while upping her pace. "Be cautious. If they sense our presence they'll flee-"

"We have _not_ confirmed target, Akane. Do not engage." Genma's stern voice cut her off.

Sakura's chakra fingers stretched. _Reach. Reach!_ Sakura shut her eyes very briefly to concentrate –they were moving faster, still leaping over the forest through the ice coated trees– and searched.

She reached. Then finally she touched the edge of something and her eyes snapped open.

"Genma-teichou." Sakura blurted.

The connection sounded fuzzy. "Sakura, Report."

"It's Sasuke."

There was silence over the line. Sakura waited for the reply.

"Target confirmed. Prepare to engage."

…

Sakura watched from a tree. Sitting high in its branches staring back to where they came from. She imagined Konoha this morning in this light. It was a beautiful morning, she had to admit. But they had been moving all night and there had been no rest as they ran to catch up with Sasuke.

Akane stood, leaning against the tree's trunk at the base. Her face under the mask was contorted in concentration. There was no doubt that the brunette was more skilled at finding chakra traces than Sakura, much like the member on Sasuke's squad, and her pride was severely wounded when Genma didn't believe her report but listened to Sakura instead. Now she was trying harder than ever to find out anything she could about the enemy to counterbalance her slip up earlier.

"The chakra Houdini is a woman. The other one is a guy. His chakra is massive. I'm amazed they could hide for this long." Akane slipped her hand into her back pocket and pulled out a book. Sakura almost laughed aloud when her thoughts automatically went to Kakashi. Such a simple action as pulling out a small book reminded her of that pervy sensei and his porn even if it was a book full of murderers and missing nins.

Then Akane hummed in undertone, more to Genma than to Sakura. "From what Tsunade knows the woman is named Karin. Nothing else, just Karin and she looks…" The kunoichi froze; she twitched at the sight of Karin's photo in the Bingo book.

Genma looked over. "What?"

"I'll tell you later."

"What?" Sakura repeated him. Akane clearly ignored her and Sakura turned red in the face. She hated being persistent but Akane's attitude was starting to aggravate her. She hated being left in the dark about something seemingly funny.

"Go on. Who's the other guy?"

Genma walked slowly and subtly to keep from disturbing the thinking kunoichi. Sakura watched expectantly. "Suigetsu is from Oto as well… at least I think he is. It's difficult to keep up with all of the _loyalty_ transfers." Sakura couldn't help but notice a little insult slipped in for her to set her teeth on edge. "I know Karin is a medic of sorts. She airs on the side of mad scientist if you ask me."

Sakura thought of what the rumors had been of Sound's experimentation. "How sick…" Sakura growled. Akane didn't take notice.

Abruptly Genma chuckled. He was looking over Akane's shoulder at the picture of Karin.

"What is it Genma?" Sakura wanted to get down and see but her laziness –inspired by a certain silver haired ninja– prevented her from doing so.

Genma only laughed more. "It's nothing." Without another word Genma scaled a tree close by to sit on a sturdy branch.

There were more minutes of silence.

The brunette put away the book and returned to her thinking pose. "Uchiha's on his own a ways off towards the east." Her eyes were firmly shut.

Sakura perked up with some interest. "Can you tell what he's doing?"

"He's pissing." She maundered.

Genma turned around from his spot high in the tree. "Nani!? You can tell that from here?"

Akane ignored him and looked up to snap back at Sakura. "How should I know what he's doing, Sakura?" Akane glared at the raven haired kunoichi. Clearly Sakura was still on her bad side.

Genma wanted to laugh at Akane's childishness but he knew that it could possibly turn fatal if he were to touch on a raw nerve.

The kunoichi's flustered feathers started to settle and she spoke again. "Please tell me Shikamaru spoke to you about a battle plan because if this is as close as we can get…"

Suddenly the spotlight was on him. "He did." Genma answered coolly. "You don't need to worry about that."

"Any decent ninja can tell when a person is using a transformation jutsu. And you know Sasuke won't allow any person near him. In this forest I doubt there is anyone just walking around." The brunette retained her agitation.

"Who says I'm using a transformation jutsu?" Genma chuckled.

Akane sighed. "Whatever it is, do it quickly. I'm afraid that they'll be on the move soon." She paused again and out of curiosity placed her palm against the tree for support as she reached out with her chakra. "No, never mind… Sasuke just returned to the group and it looks like they're staying the night."

"Good. It'll take a few hours for the jutsu to be ready."

"Right." Akane abnegated her argument and sat down silently, ready for some sleep.

Sakura still didn't look as comfortable with the plan. She knew that any use of chakra would be spotted and it was a little risky to depend on Genma's technique that he had learned an hour before they left Konoha. She didn't want to take that chance for the safety of her team.

"Genma… what jutsu is it?" She whispered just loud enough for him to hear. There was no need to make Akane madder at her than she already was by disturbing her sleep.

Genma understood her wish to let Akane rest and leapt up to sit with her on an apposing branch. "Shik showed me how to overshadow an animal. But to avoid suspicion I'll switch hosts a few times in a day." He stated and then laughed to lighten the serious mood Sakura had set for him. "It'd be a little obvious to Sasuke if there was suddenly a bird hanging around him all day."

She didn't want to let up. This was an important mission to her and she didn't want any screw-ups.

"How many times have you done it?"

"Once before we left…" Sakura groaned quietly. She was right. Shikamaru probably showed him this jutsu as he was headed out the door. "But this kind of thing is my specialty."

Her anger was boiling up. This was stupid and dangerous whether it was his 'specialty' or not. She turned on her smart-ass mode. "How much chakra did you waste the first time?-"

"Sakura." He was surprised. "I know it's tricky but you don't need to worry about it. This is my mission too and I want to succeed as much as the next shinobi."

"You know this is more than just a mission for me. I'm trying to look at this logically, you have only used this jutsu once before and you're testing it again on a _mission_.-"

"If my decisions aren't to your liking then I'll be happy to remind you that, as the leader of this squad, I have the power to revoke your opinion and politely ask you to shove it." Sakura didn't back down at first. She didn't like the smell of this mystery jutsu and it was bound to get them killed regardless of authority.

After a moment she bowed her head. "Gomen-nasai, Teichou." She muttered; her words were drenched in sarcasm.

With that she turned around and rested against the tree to sleep soundly.

"Wake me if anything happens."

Genma glared for only a moment before sighing and dropping down. He fell in a choreographed way as his feet touched on the branches gently to redirect himself and he landed a few feet from Akane, quiet as a mouse.

He moved so he was insight of Sakura and sat down to meditate and prepare the jutsu. Sakura imagined what would happen and the idea of Genma surrounded by fuzzy animals made her snicker.

_I hope this works.  
_

_

* * *

_

I'm so tired of no action! AAAGR! But I really need to get all of this peaceful stuff out of the way... I love Genma... He's like a more perverted version of Naruto. Akane is fun too...

Off I go to write the next one!

IAmNotANut


	3. Change

Playlist: New Shoes (Paolo Nutini) and, 24 hours (Jem).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Change

* * *

"Yo, Sakura." Someone was speaking to her.

"I don't want to get up." She protested.

"…Sakura!" it whined.

"Hai, Hai…" She sat up, half asleep. Her green eyes opened slowly and looked up at her disturbance. Where was she again?

Genma was grinning over her and his senbon bounced happily as he chuckled to himself. He seemed a little too close for her liking, but she was half asleep, what did she care?

Then a flood of memories hit her and she jerked into awareness. "What is it Genma? Is it Sasuke? I hope you didn't screw anything up…"

"Eat those words, Sakura." He smirked. "I have accomplished what you thought was stupid and reckless."

"I never actually said that." In fact she remembered rather clearly their previous conversation. But it seemed a little odd -Sakura's blank and dreamless sleep didn't registered any time in her memory- in one minute they're arguing and in the next he's beaming at her like he just won an award.

"But you were thinking it, ne?" Genma shook her shoulder.

Then something registered. "Wait! What did you find out?" Sakura grabbed his arm and squeezed excitedly. Then she laughed at herself for her worry earlier. "I can't believe it actually worked. Are you sure you weren't hallucinating?" Sakura's green eyes where shimmering, the ecstatic feelings inside sent light into her heart.

"I can't believe you would doubt me in the first place."

Someone behind them sighed. "Get on with it Genma." Sakura looked behind him. There leaning against the tree in a relaxed position was Akane.

"Alright…" Genma gave Sakura a long exasperated glance before beginning. "I have gathered some valuable information from my method of spying." He spoke faster and faster to the end of the sentence, seeing Sakura's wish to interject. "They were having a brief conversation when the Houdini woman asked the sword guy a question."

"Sword guy?"

"Just call them Karin and Suigetsu, Genma. You're confusing us both." Akane was rubbing her temples.

"Hai, hai…" Genma pushed away Akane's grumpiness and brightened up his face again. "But since Sword-Boy was-" Akane cleared her throat and Genma sighed. "Since _Suigetsu_ was taking too long to explain Sasuke cut in and said –in a very monotone way, mind you– 'We're going through Rain-"

"Damn it." Sakura blurted.

"-then into Earth Country.'"

"Damn it!" Sakura hit her leg with a clenched fist. "Why are they going through every hostile territory in reach!?"

"Maybe it's to evade trackers like us. They've already been dragging us all across Fire Country. Is it really a surprise for you that they would hide in Earth?"

Sakura scowled. Of course Sakura knew that was the truth but the black haired woman still hoped it wasn't so. "Is there anything else?"

"Well… yes." Genma's mood died.

Sakura looked concerned. "What? What happened?"

"I received a message from Tsunade asking you to return to Konoha."

Akane pushed off the tree and Sakura leapt up. "What!?"

"No, she did not!" Akane shoved Genma's head into the ground but thankfully his senbon fell out before impact. His laugh was muffled by the hard earth.

"I'll kill you!" Sakura kicked him in the side and Genma rolled over. His laughter was a burst of sound once it escaped the dirt.

Akane reached over to hold Sakura's shoulder apologetically. "I had nothing to do with it."

Sakura exhaled, her temporary freak out died off and she calmed her rapid heartbeat. "It's alright, Hidaka-san." Akane smiled at the familiarity and was assured by the kunoichi's expression. A little truce between them was formed.

Sakura smiled at Akane and she smirked. Behind then Genma was looking on, propped up comfortably on his elbows.

He began to sit up. "It's good to see you've settled your differences. My work is done." Genma plucked up his senbon. Sakura's head snapped in the fallen shinobi's direction. Akane, too, turned to glare. Genma's hands were behind his head as he lounged on the cold grass. "I couldn't have you all bitching at each other the whole was could I? It's bad for the team's sake."

"For the team's sake?" Akane held back Sakura with one hand. "You didn't just want to see me flip out!?"

Genma stifled a chuckle. "Never." He scooted as far away from Sakura as he could while Akane's attention drifted.

Akane tightened her hand on Sakura, who immediately stopped. "Good. Now that we've got that settled…" She paused and looked Sasuke's way. Genma shot up. "They're on the move."

The retrieval team, humor aside, began running. Ice on the branches was starting to refreeze after the brief sunlight but it didn't prevent every surface from being incredibly slick.

Sakura was still put out by Genma's remarks and she fell behind him to glare at his back. She could probably plan a sneaky revenge if she thought it out carefully. She took in the facts: The branches were extremely slippery, the dense forest provided much to fall over, and Genma was easily distracted. Then, in that instant, Akane glanced back, as if she had sensed Sakura's plotting, and sent her a sign saying 'let's do this'. Sakura nodded and Akane started to talk aimlessly with Genma.

"Why do you have that senbon, Genma? Is it for good luck?"

"Not really. I keep it around just for fun. When I quit smoking, I needed something to help replace the action of having a cigarette in my mouth so I started using really long toothpicks." Sakura looked at Akane. The brunette was leading Genma perfectly. "Then on a mission I would use a senbon. It's really a hard skill to master, spitting a senbon at a fast enough speed to puncture.-"

Then it happened. Genma's footing slipped on an icy branch and he was sent flying into the air. Sakura and Akane had the perfect view of his face, full of shock, as he did a small back flip and fell right into a pile of mushy wet snow. The kunoichi stopped and they exploded in teary laughter.

Genma emerged, thoroughly soaked, with a sour look of embarrassment on his face. He trudged under the trees they stood on as he brushed off the slush and suddenly smirked.

"How'd you like my landing?"

Together they laughed and the fleeting daylight seemed little brighter.

Sakura looked down triumphantly. "Serves you right, Genma."

"Perhaps, but we're getting a little distracted now, ne?" Genma placed his hands on his hips and spoke as he would to children.

"Don't try to cover up your blunder, teichou; you're the one slowing us up." Akane wagged a finger.

In a flash the man was gone. Sakura and Akane were frozen for a moment, but only a moment, before leaping after.

Genma glanced over his shoulder as they quickly caught up. He looked pleased with himself. "Is this better?"

"Much." Akane elbowed him playfully as she leapt up to cut him off.

The three ran in silence for a while. Sakura occasionally turned her eyes to Genma. He was certainly a piece of work. Even though Genma was years older than she was, close to Kakashi's age, Genma could still be just as childish, if not more, than Sakura. What surprised her most was that Genma, who was an extremely skilled and experienced shinobi, _chose_ to jest and trick like a seven-year-old. She guessed that it was just the generation he came out of. That group of shinobi was all a little young for their age and had been forced to grow up before they wanted to. Now was the time to make up for it.

Sakura ran beside them, she was racking her brain for something she had forgotten. It was teasing the edge of her thoughts and prevented her from thinking about anything else. She notices that Genma was sinking back into an intensive trance that signified to Sakura that he was checking in on Team Hebi. Without warning the previously hidden questions flowed into her again.

Sakura pushed off a thick branch and propelled right next to Genma. _Sorry, Genma._ She thought meekly. She was about to break his concentration but her inner self pushed her far passed politeness as her hand flew into his back pocket. The man jumped and before he could come back with something around the lines of 'if you wanted to get into my pants that badly you could've just asked' Sakura pulled out the Bingo book.

"Shit." This was about to cause a little more trouble than he could anticipate.

"Karin, Karin, Karin…" Sakura fell back, flipping through the pages.

Genma swatted at her in hopes of getting it. "Sakura!"

"She doesn't have a full name right? It's just Kar- Ah ha!" Sakura slammed her finger onto the page as she found the K's.

"Gimme my book!"

Sakura almost through the book in surprise as she shouted out: "Oi! What's this!?"

"Ahehehe…" Genma rubbed his head.

Sakura looked at the picture with disgust. "Her hair is… it's… pink!"

"It's a shade of red, actually." Akane slipped into the conversation. She seemed unaffected by the squabble over a petty book.

"You're right. It's too ugly to be labeled as pink. What does she brush it with, a shrub?"

Genma held up a hand and quoted in a boy-scout manner. "Sticks and stones may bre-"

"Half of her hair is twice the length of the other half! Did she shut her eyes while cutting?"

Genma laughed internally. It was fun to see Sakura flip her shit over something so pointless. These were those small reminders that she was still a young woman and, sometimes, a spastic one.

"… Where's Suigetsu…"

Akane jumped in again. "Wait, Sakura!-" Even though Genma was partially enjoying this, Akane was starting to worry about the amount of noise Sakura was making.

"SILVER!?" Sakura's voice shook the woods. Akane slapped her palm onto her forehead and muttered a long string of profanities.

Genma wasn't trying to stop her. Now he was just feeding the flames. "Actually-"

"No, wrong again. It's a strange shade of blue. But I'm not sure; the lighting in this photo isn't that reliable..." Sakura angled the book in a few definite positions to try and see a different color emerge. When that failed she moved on. She was on a roll. "What about the dead one… what was his name again? Juugo…"

Akane moved her hand from her forehead (there was a nice round red mark) and started to rub her temples. "Sakura. Does it really matter what he looked like? Let the sleeping dog lie."

"Let the _dead_ dog lie." Genma teased.

"Blond!" Sakura hit the book onto her hand.

"It's orange for Kami's sake. Sakura, you're delusional." Akane approached her, suddenly realizing that they had sped up considerably, and grabbed her shoulder to pull her back.

"No, no, I'm not! I understand completely now…" Sakura flipped pages back and forth, looking over every feature.

Genma's voice was lower pitched and sounded very official. "Akane, get out the sedative."

"Hold on a second…" Sakura held up her hand to silence him. Then the idea floated by and she waved him on. "No, never mind, let me think on this."

"The syringe is ready Hidaka-sensei." Genma pantomimed the medical instrument in his hands briefly before meeting Akane's perplexed and disturbed look. Then he stopped himself in the act and smirked at her.

Sakura caught his drift and glared at him. "Alright already! I'll go quiet."

Akane looked around. "What? I'm lost." Genma sighed and patted the clueless one on the head.

To her teammates' relish, she actually remained quiet for a decent span of time. But Sakura was far from quiet in her mind. Everything was moving, everything was twisting and turning, mulling over every word she had heard from when Tsunade told her they had spotted Sasuke up until this moment.

_Why was Sasuke going through Fire in the first place? What does he need from here? It's no doubt that he had some sort of purpose. Is it to follow the Akatsuki? Where they here? _Sakura blinked slowly. The night was catching up with her and her exhaustion was almost stronger than her determination to stay awake. _No… It can't be that. Tsunade would have known. It isn't that easy to slip into Fire anymore._ _Why does he need to go through Rain?_ Then another thought popped in. _Maybe it's to pick up a new freak for the circus he's running._ Soon enough Sakura was on autopilot and she drifted into her subconscious to solve this ball of mysteries.

The storm swam all around them. The air was thick with moisture and the icy rain was recoating all of the branches. Hopefully the storm would dissipate before reaching Konoha. They've had enough ice for one winter.

"Sakura, we're going into town." Genma's voice came as a murmur in her ear. She had unknowingly gained distance from them and when she looked up and out of thought the day was dying.

It was either 6 o'clock or 11, now that the days were so short it was hard to judge time. Sakura quickened her step and recognized Genma's chakra first. Sakura hurried up to join him but she was unsteady. She couldn't sense Akane.

Genma saw the kunoichi's searching look. "It's alright. Akane went into town to get better grounds. She's watching for Team Hebi. They stopped almost an hour ago."

He noticed Sakura glance at their surroundings. "This is the border town, Sakura. Really, you should pay attention a little more often." He gibed.

She hit him on the arm. "Why are we stopping?"

"Well, I don't know about you but I could go for a hot meal." He patted his stomach and, on his command it seemed, it growled.

Sakura laughed lightly. "I agree."

"Let's hurry. I don't want Akane to eat everything before we get there."

Together they disappeared into the evening. Around them blew wild winds that were steadily growing. There was something dark approaching like a storm coming to unsettle the sea.

…

Sakura sat on her own in the hotel room. It was absurdly loud outside. The wind was slamming against her window and she could hear an occasional gust of snow speckle itself onto the building's walls. Random twigs and pieces of forest debris clanked on the roof.

Sleeping through this was unlikely.

She heard the doorknob turn and her first instinct was to leap into the ceiling corner where the bathroom and sleeping area met. That nook would be perfect for a surprise attack if she had enough shuriken to whip around the corner. She forced her tense muscles to order and relaxed again. As if Sakura hadn't even noticed, she remained still in a picture of comfort as Akane walked in. She was drying her hair with a towel and had on a new outfit. Sakura had visited the hot springs first thing. She also switched clothes. This second shirt had been shoved into the small back pocket for her weapons. She wasn't surprised to find a small hole near the hem, right next to her bellybutton where a kunai had been pushed into it. The shirt was made of thin fabric like her first one and it was easy to stuff in any space when folded into a small square.

The shirt had netting around the neck. Unlike Akane's v-neck, Sakura's dipped a little lower into a 'U' shape. The netting encircled the normal collar area and provided little warmth. Sakura knew this wasn't that smart of idea, especially in this weather, but she desperately needed to wash her other shirt. How long had they been going on now? It had been at least 6 weeks.

Akane abruptly plopped down beside her fellow kunoichi and flipped Sakura's raven hair around in her hand.

"It's getting a little long, don't you think?"

Sakura rolled over onto her stomach to allow Akane access to her whole head. She rested her chin on her folded hands and murmured through the comforter that now covered half of her face. "I'd love to cut it again."

"I could." Akane soothingly rubbed the soft spot behind Sakura's ear. Sakura's eyes shut.

"I would be in your debt."

"Ah, it's alright. I need to pay you back for keeping this mission a happy one." Akane ruffled the back of Sakura's head, moving to massage her neck.

"Could you do it now?" Sakura reluctantly turned her head out of Akane's pampering. Akane nodded her response and they got up from the bed, traveling into the bathroom.

Akane took down the shower head and got Sakura's raven hair wet.

"How short do you want it?"

"As close as you can get to the scalp and still recognize me as a woman."

She laughed. "That's a little close, ne?" Sakura could tell she wasn't going to really protest. "What about bangs?"

Sakura thought on it. "Sure, why not. Put in a little of your creative genius into it. I don't mind."

Akane took out a kunai and started to cut the damp hair. Pieces dropped in clumps and Sakura watched it flow down the drain like black water. Sakura felt a swirl, much like the swirl that her black hair was making down the drain, of déjà vu in the situation where she found herself. Ino had done this favor for her once before when she was young. Now it was Akane that sat behind her on the edge of the tub doing her this kind deed.

Sakura spoke again after Akane turned on the water to wash away the leftovers from her head. "I forgot to tell you my theory."

"What theory?" A voice came from behind. There at the door stood a half wet Genma.

Sakura noticed Akane's big brown eyes look him up and down again. Sakura stifled a chuckle and instead she blurted out the ideas still hanging in the air. "Well, I've noticed something about Team Hebi. They all have a feature or two that resembled someone from the old Team 7." Genma began to chuckle but Sakura continued. "Suigetsu resembles Kakashi with his almost white hair. But, since he doesn't have too many things in common with Kakashi, I'll just skip over." Sakura changed her tone and she stated, oh so matter-of-factly. "Juugo resembles Naruto. It's not just his orange/yellow hair, either. Juugo has uncontrollable power and often has bursts of insanity."

"Naruto's not insane."

Sakura's face altered. It showed pain as a memory flashed across. "He is when the Kyuubi takes over…" She shook away the recollection and finished her theory. "Karin has pink hair…" She saw the look Akane gave her and altered her word choice with a sigh. "Alright, it's a shade of red but I have a similar hair color no matter how you look at it. Also we're also both medics… in a way."

"But Sasuke doesn't know that you're a medic, right?" A direct hit from Akane. Sakura's balloon of imagination was deflating.

"Maybe he had a little precognition." Sakura retorted. "Besides, it's just a theory."

Genma chuckled. Then his expression changed and he spoke with the intent of sharing official business. "Well. There's a message coming in from Konoha. The manager just spotted it."

"That's a little dangerous, don't you think? It could give away our position."

Sakura shook her head. "No, this is the border city. I'm sure they get messages all the time."

Genma suddenly looked troubled. "I doubt that. The man seemed really surprised that a messenger hawk was coming. It was like he hadn't seen one in a while." Sakura still didn't understand the threat. She saw her two teammates exchange looks. Maybe there was something they were overlooking. But what?

Akane abruptly leapt out of the bathroom, dropping the kunai onto the tile, and flew to the window. The clouds were dark gray swirls and the snow was switching periodically from snow to rain to sleet. Akane's face became unnaturally pale.

"They know…" Genma was the first one out of the bathroom.

Sakura sprinted to the window. "What!?"

The kunoichi still stared away in disbelief. "She was here the whole time. Karin was waiting to see." Akane whipped around to look at Genma who was already grabbing his things. "We have to move," Sakura's green eyes were widening. "Fast."

In a flash, the room was emptied and they were gone out the door.

_He's going to slip through our fingers… He's getting away!_ Sakura leapt out of the front of the hotel into the downpour. She saw Genma following Akane closely, avoiding any slipups on the ice puddles. The rain hit her like needles as they flew out of the cover of the buildings and into the trees.

_I can't let that happen!!_

Despite the branches clashing and the ringing in their ears, Genma's voice overcame them. "Above you!"

There just over the tree tops was a black object gliding at their speed. Sakura nodded to Genma and ascended the branches to come up next to the bird. She didn't have time to stop. Sasuke was slipping away as she lingered and she relieved the bird of his letter while it still flew. She dropped straight down with the scroll caught tightly in her fingers. She pushed off of the branch she came in contact with next and rocketed to Akane's side.

A voice in her ear responded. "Who's it from?" Sakura glanced at the name.

"Tsunade."

"To whom?"

She looked for the person addressed and was shocked to see her own name. "It's for me."

"Hurry and read it." Genma's voice was strained from the cold air invading his lungs.

Sakura opened it careful to not let the raging weather rip it out of her hands.

'_Sakura,_

_Naruto is headed home. He left almost two weeks ago. He's getting back by going into Earth Country to avoid the Akatsuki and intends to get to Fire by traveling through Grass. Do not avert your attention from your mission but if you run into him request his assistance. Kakashi isn't letting me rest until he at least knows Sasuke is in the general area. Good luck and remember that Sasuke is a still a threat to you._

_The Fifth,_

_Tsunade'_

Sakura rolled up the scroll. _I didn't know that Naruto had gone so far West that he has to pass _Earth_._

"So… Naruto is going home."

Genma snorted. "About time."

Sakura shook her head. "He's going through Earth Country."

"We'll have to have Sasuke gift rapped before we see him, then-" Akane cut off and the line went silent. The brunette's eyes were searching off into the trees ahead of them, abashed. Genma was as well.

Sakura's heart leapt into her throat. She stared ahead and her breath caught. Something had altered.  
Akane's voice was torn between fear and anticipation.

"They've changed direction."

The kunoichi's thoughts were cleared off as if by the rain and all that she could focus on were the three chakras headed straight for them at full speed.

Fear struck her. Her body was shaking and her breath was becoming unsteady. She could feel perspiration gather all over her, it felt like she was on fire. _Sasuke had been waiting. He was waiting for us… He had planned it all along._

"Abort." Genma's raspy voice commanded. "Abort the mission."

"No!" Sakura protested loudly, forgetting about the mic on her neck and the sweat rolling down her cheeks. Genma's head snapped to look at her in anger and shocked. Sakura almost bit her tongue, wishing to swallow her words, but some driving force inside spoke through her. "This is the only chance we'll get."

* * *

Fight scenes are next! Finally, I'm dying over here!

For the record: I really like the title for this chapter. It makes me happy. :3

IAmNotANut

Next Chapter - Black


	4. Black

Merry Christmas! (Or whatever is politically correct.) I'm not religious but I still enjoy Christmas, okay!? Heheh… and a Happy New Year!

Learn to Crawl by Black Lab is perfect for the beginning of this chapter. That and Doomsday by Atreyu, Easier to Run by Linkin Park, and Stand my Ground by Within Temptation.

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Black

* * *

Trees whizzed by. The pumping adrenalin didn't slow down the scenery's flashing shadows as one would think. Instead, it heightened every sense and allowed the mind to process more in shorter pieces of time.

Bark creaked under Sakura's feet. Goosebumps rose on her skin and she could feel, if nothing else, the increase of her heart beat. But it was no longer out of fear that the pulse made her skin ripple and tightened every moving muscle, flexing and releasing to test their capacity. It was out of excitement. Secretly, this was what she wanted all along. Her black hair danced around her jaw line as a smile pulled up her lips behind the mask she wore. This wasn't going to be easy. But knocking a few heads seemed like a splendid idea and the building tension inside her was close to busting out right then and there.

Akane ran just behind, flanking her. Genma tried to catch up to the racing kunoichi, but could only manage getting a few feet closer. Suddenly Sakura remembered something. Even if her chakra was suppressed didn't mean a person couldn't recognize it if they were close enough. The last thing she wanted was for Sasuke to recognize her. She quickly masked her chakra and slowed down so Genma could guide them. Genma and Akane concealed their energy signatures as well and their leader spoke into the mic.

"Approximately five minutes to contact." His voice was almost monotone, like an automated warning that rang in Sakura's ears. "We will incapacitate all attackers and recover Uchiha Sasuke at all costs. Injuries could possibly be sustained so protecting our medic is crucial." Sakura smirked. It was ironic that she stood out like that. If it turned ugly out there, Sakura would fight to the death to protect them. Genma said that mainly to remind her that having a medic is the difference _between_ life and death.

Sakura's eyes turned to the unseen shinobi that were approaching, and then she glanced back to Akane and Genma. She would die for these people, medic or no medic.

The rain was pelting on her like little bullets. They were flying through the storm, tearing through the tree's dark grasp, and it was hard to hush her pulse again when the thought of seeing Sasuke again after all of these years provoked the rhythm of her heart.

"Three minutes."

180 seconds … They slipped by. She numbered them slowly: 173… 172… 171… The heat inside her was beginning to settle. She could do this. She could fight. Years of training, years of waiting… years of hoping… Sakura turned her head away from what awaited her. _What if we fail?_ _What if I'm not good enough? _The blonde's image flashed in her mind. _What would Naruto say?_

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Akane's soothing voice sent a wave of comfort over her. Even though it had only been a month, she had felt a strong friendship start between them. The kunoichi had never had a sister. But she wondered if this is what it was like. Like when they would stay up late just to talk. Fighting over petty things: how does warfare and healing relate?

Healing, there is the initial push to save someone, then the hill gets a little easier to climb once the patient is stable. Warfare, there is the initial push to get the advantage over an enemy. Then once victory is visible, success is certain with a little effort. Losing comes down to the same thing in the end… death. But the bridge between these two things was far from complete. Hours were spent arguing over whose view was right and, because they were both so stubborn, little ground was covered.

"Sixty seconds."

_No! _Fear spiked and expanded like an infectious poison as those two words seeped into her mind. _It's coming too fast! I can't… I can't face him. _Sakura shook her head, pushing away the terror she was feeling.

"Sakura." Genma noticed her flinch at her name. "You are a shinobi. You are completely capable of facing this. We are here for you and we need you to be here for us." Genma's strong hand clasped her shoulder. "Don't give up on us so soon." He chuckled and the kunoichi relaxed again.

His confidence turned on her autopilot and they set their attention to what lie ahead. Genma counted down.

"Twenty."

_I have killed… _

"Nineteen."

_I have saved… _

"Eighteen."

_I have sacrificed… _

"Seventeen."

_I am a kunoichi… I am a medic… I am a warrior._

Her green eyes glinted with hostility and malice. She was ready to take back what had been ripped from her life, from the lives of those she loved. _I am an elite Jounin, a Black Op, trained by the best. _

"Ten."

_Doubt isn't an option. I feel no fear. I feel nothing. The mission is all that matters._ Even as her heart turned to stone, her shimmering green eyes still held those emotions, they were her only tell.

"Eight."

On the outside she was a ninja with one objective in mind.

"Seven."

On the inside she was a young woman who would give anything to reunite the family she had made out of her old team.

"Five seconds. Do not forget our target."

Time meant nothing to her now. Her blood was alive in the freezing night and, as another gust sent chills up her spine, she saw silhouettes in the dark.

Veiled by the wall of a white illusion, the thrilling anticipation made her lips turn up as shadows collided in the black.

Sakura saw from her peripheral vision as Akane disappeared beside her. It was Karin that tackled her and she watched for a millisecond as they fell to the forest floor in a swirl of leaves and rain.

In front of her there was a massive chakra coming in fast. She looked out into the shadows and saw, in a flash of light, her own reflection on a giant sword. She leapt to the side and the sword skimmed down her arm. She perceived the outline of a man's thin face as he turned to her with a glistening toothy grin. Sakura caught onto the trunk of a tree as Suigetsu grabbed onto a branch and hinged off it, up, landing on the wood. He looked at her curiously.

"Your arms are pretty. I wonder what you look like without them." Then he leapt at her with the sword raised. His movements were being slowed by the weight of his weapon. Recollection hit her as she dodged easily.

"Zabuza…!" She muttered, originally to herself.

"Oh, you know him? It's his sword." He swung at her again. Sakura pulled out a handful of shuriken. "But he doesn't need it now that he's dead!" Sakura pushed off where she was and they shot at each other. His arms were above his head, a perfect opening. She launched them.

Just as the shuriken were to make contact with his throat and chest he exploded into water.

"What the-!?" Sakura fell to the ground and Suigetsu's sword landed not too far away without its wielder. The water rained on her. It mixed in the dirty puddles. She looked around in a small panic. His chakra was no where to be seen… Actually, it felt like it was everywhere. It seemed like it was _in_ the water.

"Team!" A voice called from above her.

Sakura's head snapped up and there, standing out of the shadows, was Uchiha Sasuke. The voice had come from Genma who had sustained many wounds already. Sasuke seemed unmarred and stood casually with that stoic look on his face. Genma's hands were thrown into a seal. Sakura recognized it immediately.

"Take cover!" He bellowed in the woods.

Sakura dove to the shelter of a nearby tree and she saw Akane do the same. Karin watched for a moment before she sensed the intention of his chakra. She started to run when Genma shouted out.

"_Jouru Senbon!_"

Hidden within the rain Sakura could see glints of metal.

They were in a vortex of needles. She saw the senbon whirl before her and attack Karin. She blocked the fatal ones with a kunai before getting in the safely of the forest. Sakura felt a jolt run through her. Genma was aiming at…

Sasuke.

_Of course…_

Sakura looked out from behind the tree and up to her former teammate.

His figure was shaking but his relaxed position didn't change. Sakura was about to move to get a better look when a bulge of chakra drew away her attention.

"Do you taste good?"

Sakura whirled around to see a mass of silver headed for her. She pulled out a pair of kunai and blocked the giant sword. Her body cracked the tree and she grunted. Suigetsu was standing a few feet from her clutching the handle with difficulty.

Sakura chuckled as she noticed the senbon rain fade away. 'Having a little trouble?' She wanted to say. Suigetsu was clearly unfit to use the sword. This gave her the advantage.

Chakra pulled to her hands and she smirked behind the mask.

Suigetsu's eyes widened.

"_Gouwan!_" Sakura shot her arms out, launching the sword out of his hands. It stuck in a nearby tree and Sakura took a swipe at the defenseless shinobi.

Akane was kneeling on a thick branch. Her arm was bleeding badly but that wasn't her biggest problem. Karin's chakra control was impossible to track. The kunoichi could project her chakra in the opposite direction and send Akane right into a trap. Patiently, she waited, depending only on her natural senses.

Hearing was useless with the pitter patter of rain all around. Sight was also pointless for the same reason. _Smell… use smell. _

It was almost removed completely by the downpour but she could tell that there was blood mingling in the air. There was hers… and Genma's… the third she didn't recognize.

_Below!_

Akane reached into her pack. From it she grabbed a dozen shuriken and feet upon feet of razor sharp wires. She pulled them out and she was suddenly surrounded by a web of the silver threads. One wire grazed her and a slit immediately formed. She glanced down at the collapsing web, but, before the wires would settle and encase her in barbed metal, she flung out the shuriken. They flew at a curve, wrapping around branch, twig, and trunk, shredding as they went.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard a shriek of pain. The wires stuck and became taut. She grabbed hold of one with a metal plated glove and slid down lower in the forest.

Karin was stuck with two wires around her left arm and another one trapped the underside of her wrist against a tree. Hand seals were impossible to complete. Her leg was pinned to a branch, her ankle twisted in the crease of the wood.

Akane smiled at her convenient handiwork and made a jumble of hand signs. She spoke calm and clearly. "_Katon: __Ryuuka no Jutsu!_"

"_Katon: __Ryuuka no Jutsu._" A voice, simultaneous to hers, bellowed an octave lower.

Two giant fires lit up the forest and Akane, who aimed at Karin, could see Uchiha's face turned to her. Her flames were met by his. While her energy was quickly consumed by a technique not her own, his chakra swelled in his mouth and she was soon overcome.

…

Sakura and Suigetsu were trapped in battle. Sakura was bleeding profusely from a wound on her neck. Apparently, he had been honestly curious of her taste. She stood away from him, still on the earth where water was starting to freeze.

Suigetsu smiled. His bloodstained teeth made the kunoichi cringe. She had to end this. Above her she could see Genma leaning against the trunk of a tree. He had been no match for Sasuke's style of fighting. Genma clutched his thigh where the Uchiha's kusanagi had stabbed clean through.

_I have to help him…_

Speaking of Sasuke, where was he?

As the thought passed there was a cry in the woods. It echoed against the rain and thunder.

Sakura's head snapped up to see the blinding light of fire.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk!" Suigetsu charged behind her. "You have no time to spare. I'm your opponent."

Sakura turned on her heel and glared at her attacker.

"You're right. I have no time." Sakura ran at him and they crashed into one another.

Sakura's chakra enhanced fist smashed into his collar bone with a sickening crack and he was propelled a tree, causing it to snap under the pressure. As it toppled over him, Sakura turned to her teammate.

Akane was falling.

"Noooooo!!" Sakura cried out, the trees shivered.

Pain and heat, Akane was wrapped in fire.

Sakura dove under her and caught her. A flash of a similar memory tried to intrude. It wasn't Akane she held in her arms but Sasuke when Lee sent him rocketing into the ground when they were but Genin.

Sakura fought back the memory along with tears and she suppressed the flames with her own jacket.

She felt the fire burn through her clothes and singe her skin.

The smell overwhelmed her. The smell of burning hair and smoke and flesh made her stomach flop.

"Akane… Akane stay with me." She pleaded as her healing energy flowed into the weak shinobi.

"Sakura…" Her voice was so tired.

"I can heal you. I can fix this. Just wait." Sakura's hand began to glow.

Akane tried to wave her off but her hand fell as soon as she tried to lift it.

Sakura pushed her energy into her friend but the fire had deprived her lungs of oxygen enough to start shutting off her organs. That wasn't all. Her enzymes had been denaturized by the heat. Naturally healing was out of reach. Sakura knew, but still forced the healing energy into her comrade. Akane's heart was beginning to fade. Sakura held on. She pushed. The kunoichi felt her own fatigue grow as she pumped energy into a hopeless cause.

"Sakura…" Hidaka Akane reached up. Her hand was shaking. She placed it onto Sakura's shoulder and used the weight of her arm to pull Sakura closer. "Arigato…"

Her slender hand slipped off.

Hidaka Akane was dead in Sakura's arms.

A feeling inside her made her look above to see Sasuke looming over. He was watching. Sakura's throat tightened. His piercing red eyes were staring her right in the face.

She looked away.

"Still alive, bitch?" Sakura turned her head to see Karin standing a few yards away. She was covered in blood from her thin, yet penetrating cuts.

Sakura clenched Akane's burnt jacket. It was sizzling quietly in the rain.

She laid down her companion gentle and snarled. "You die now." She pulled out two short katana hidden in her sleeves, two of the many weapons she still had stashed on her person. Before Karin breathed another insult, Sakura disappeared.

Sasuke watched from the sideline as Sakura reappeared behind Karin with a katana at her throat. Karin tried to break away –because of her wounded wrists and tendons in her arms it was difficult to move her fingers so a replacement technique was not possible– but Sakura, before any action could be made, grabbed the woman's shoulder and dug her blade into Karin's shoulder, turning and curving through her skin closer to her neck.

The woman cried out and Sakura felt the massive chakra built up behind her.

_Suigetsu._ She was in no condition to take another one of his strong strikes. The kunoichi prepared for him by putting her katana behind her to block as much as she could and began to pull Karin in the Sword-guy's direction as her shield.

Instead of the white hair she was expecting to see, there was brown and black. It was a black bandana. She was relieved by Genma's presence until she identified his disrupted chakra patterns and severe wounds all over his body. He was blocking Suigetsu's sword with one kunai, Sakura helped with hers, his other hand had multiple senbon in it.

He chuckled as he thrust them into Suigetsu's unwounded shoulder which held up the giant sword. Sakura removed her weapons from Karin and dropped her katana's as Suigetsu also dropped his. She shoved both Karin and Genma out of the way as she uppercut Suigetsu to the gut. Genma's arm slid through her grasp until, just after her blow was finished, she gripped his wrist and flung his arm over her shoulder to help him leap up into the trees again.

"We have to get away. You have too many injuries to fight anymore and I can't heal you like this."

"I know."

"I left Akane…"

"I know."

Sakura held back burning tears and looked at him. The trees were flashing behind his head.

With impulsive determination, Sakura gathered her remaining chakra into her hand. It lit the dark night with a green glow and the medic lightly laid her hand on his thigh.

"No, Sakura! You won't have the energy to-"

"I can't carry you forever. Either I give you all I can so you can successfully escape or we both go on at half our strength and get run down and killed." Sakura's voice cracked.

Genma tightened his arm around her shoulder. "No! You go on together. As your commanding officer I order you-"

"What? Are you going to keep me from healing you?" He saw her eyes through the slits. The green was full of unshed tears and desperation.

He looked away into the night. The rain was just as strong, if not stronger than before. Lighting struck and thunder shook the trees. Then, after a glimpse of light it died.

Sakura removed her hand and slumped. She was panting now. Genma moved his leg and when he stepped onto it again he felt the powerful results of her chakra. He replaced his arm around her shoulders, used it to lift her up, and held her bridal style.

"I can carry you like this."

Sakura sighed. "Yes, but for how long."

They were already slowing. She was starting to feel the three chakras trailing them. Genma looked between her and the trees ahead. Sakura reached up with a feeble hand and she pushed up his mask to see his face.

The debate was all in his eyes. Sakura chuckled.

"Don't give up on me so soon." She quoted him happily. A euphoric blanket was covering her. "I still have some surprises up my sleeves."

Genma, after minutes of silence, made eye contact. He bent his head down to rest his forehead against hers.

"I will come back for you."

Sakura's wavering laugh shook her chest. "Don't even bother." Genma heard the double meaning. Sakura tensed at his expression and corrected herself. "I'll catch up to you."

With out another word he stopped and sat her down.

"I will come back." He vanished into the shadows of the woods.

Sakura's voice called out rapidly. "Genma…!" She reached, rethinking the choice.

She didn't want to die.

Team Hebi was almost there. Sakura shook the fear away and focused. If she was going to live she'd have to fight with everything she had. So, fear aside, Sakura gathered her remaining chakra to every joint and muscle. She prepared for their arrival with a number of "gifts". She would push her limits as far as humanly possible if it meant living and taking out the bastards who killed Akane.

_Sasuke._

She couldn't… no, she didn't want to think about who killed Akane. Instead she distracted herself with hope.

When would Genma get to Konoha? What would Kakashi say? Would they presume that she was dead or send a team to rescue her? Well, they would send a team anyway to dispose of her body. But it wasn't like there was a lot to steal from her remains.

They were closer now.

Sakura hopped down and placed a handful of waterproof explosive tags all around her. She threw away the other tags that were unusable in the rain. She pulled out the last of her weapons and set multiple wire traps.

They were almost there.

Lastly she pulled from under her shin guards two thin blades, square like the one Sai used years back, and from the metal guards on her forearms she revealed long chains with barbs on them and attached them to the ends of her first weapons.

The lengthy and thin chains dangled over the branch past her feet. She held the blades with the ends closest to her thumbs while the majority of the metal stuck out the back side of her fist.

Her jacket was becoming a nuisance. It was ragged and had started ripping down the back when the splinters of wood tore it during her battle with Suigetsu.

Something she didn't want to admit was that it smelt of Akane's burning skin was the real reason she wanted to rid herself of the article of clothing. The wetness in her eyes started again but she quickly shook it off. For this reason Sakura dropped her weapons so they stuck in the branch and removed the jacket, letting it fall to the ground.

Warmth rushed out of her like air from a popped balloon.

They were seconds away.

Sakura quickly picked up the blades and whirled the chains in the air.

She thought of the reasons to stay.

Sakura knew that she would have slowed Genma down if she had stayed with him.

Sakura was also still able to fight. And, even though she had healed him, Genma was still wounded. She would serve as a distraction.

She had to…

She needed to…

She wanted to stay. She wanted to stay and see his face again. This could be the last time. Maybe _he_ would kill her.

She wanted to run. She wanted to live to see Naruto and Kakashi again. She wanted to see Sasuke return to Konoha. She wanted to _live_ to see his smirk, hear his "Hn" and "Aa"…

Sasuke appeared out of the shadows. His eyes were blazing, looking at every trap that she had set. Seeing through every ruse.

Karin wasn't so lucky. Explosions went off all around her, collapsing the trees on top of her. She narrowly escaped.

Suigetsu avoided the tags only to be caught in a wire trap. Kunai and shuriken were launched at him; his sword weighed him down enough for three kunai to hit his back and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

He emerged out of the dark feet from her before Sasuke landed a tree away. Suigetsu chuckled at her shaky form and attacked with Zabuza's sword. Sakura threw her blade, letting the chain sliced through her fingers until she caught the very end and whirled it at him. The blade served as a weight as it whipped around Suigetsu's arms and the hilt of the sword. Sakura pulled back and the barbs stuck to him, drawing blood. He released the sword and the chain was pulled off. Sakura let go without protest and while still in the air the shinobi used his good arm to throw a barrage of kunai at her. Sakura slowly turned to see Sasuke's face as they hit her unprotected back.

In a cloud of white, Sakura was gone. Suigetsu froze as a foreign hand grabbed his shoulder, which already had a broken collar bone. Another cold hand grabbed his wrist and turned him around. The real Sakura pumped destructive chakra into his arm and twisted. An orchestra of cracks followed and Sakura smirked at his pained expression when he shouted pitifully.

Karin was behind her already. She shoved her chakra filled fingers into Sakura's kidney. Blood burst out of the kunoichi's mouth as she spun in place to trap the opposing kunoichi and herself in her remaining chain. Sakura slipped her hand up so they could both see and she formed a seal. Karin's eyes suddenly widened in fear and struggled to make a seal herself.

With a grin on her face, she whispered in Karin's ear. "Kai."

Sakura's doppelganger expanded and prepared to rupture.

Before it could, a shadow flashed in front of Karin and the chain was cut. Sasuke shoved the exploding doll off the tree into the earth so it could discharge.

He muttered under his breath and disappeared in another shadow.

Sakura knelt in her exhaustion. That last trick had sucked up all of the energy she had conserved. She heard the explosion go off and it sent a shock wave that rattled the leaves. With an aching sigh, Sakura placed her covered forehead onto the rough bark. The rain was pounding all around her and it had to be close to midnight now. The late night was draining her life it seemed.

Suddenly she felt Sasuke's chakra disperse back at Team Hebi's location.

The pace of her heart quickened as the sound of feet hitting wood came from behind her. After seconds of silence, she deliberately stood with as much grace as she could muster.

Genma was probably at the border city by now. But she couldn't be sure considering how much they deviated to escape Sasuke. But she was at the end of her line, regardless. Sakura didn't have the energy to run, as if she could outrun Sasuke to begin with. Sakura was unable to fight and surrender was all she could think of. Perhaps she earned herself a mercy killing after the show she put on.

She started to face him.

Her game was over. Her _life_ was over. But at least her wish had been fulfilled. She could see Sasuke again before she died.

With these thoughts in mind she removed her mask, pushing back her damp hair, and faced him fully. Her eyes were without tears and shone with shinobi pride.

Foamy green met whirling tomoe in a red sea.

Then all was black.

* * *

Poor Akane… I really like her character but I don't regret my choice to kill someone off in the fourth chapter.

Anyway, thank you for reading!

Next Chapter – Names of the Dead

IAmNotANut


	5. Names of the Dead

Answering the question over Sakura's age…

ShineForMe – Alright… Let me do a little math to make sure I have this right… When the series started Sakura was 12. Then after the time skip (Which has no meaning in this story. I will reform the history as I please :3) she was 15. Then after five years of crap, leading up to where my story starts, she is 19 turning 20. It is set in fall/winter; therefore, her b-day is yet to come.

Playlist: You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison (My Chemical Romance) and, Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day)

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Names of the Dead

* * *

It was like being under water. It was like being trapped under pounds and pounds of sand. It was like sinking out of sight and thought.

The body was cold, numb, and worn. Wounds were too tired to hurt, too tired to heal or to bleed. Everything moved so lethargically, slowed by the weight of world's sorrows.

Who was she? Was she dead...? No. Breath was frigid in her lungs and blood pumped weakly in her.

Voices weaved through her ears torpidly. "My skin is covered in cuts! I'm scared for life!"

"Heal my arm and stop complaining. When you finish with me you can get started fixing your dry, flakey skin. But I'm sure it's already past saving..."

"Oooh!"

Feeling started to tingle its way back to her arms that were wrapped around something rough. Just when she flexed her fingers a bracing wind sped by, sending her into a shivering fit. She had no jacket… Why?

Memories came back, slowly but surly.

There was blood, a green hand on wounded leg, glinting metal, and fire.

The smell became fresh in her mind again. Burning flesh, singed hair, flaming clothes. She had dropped her jacket. She remembered the face under the mask. Blips of recollection. Flashes of awareness.

_Akane!_ She tried to sit up but discovered that her hands were not around the tree by choice. They were tied behind her. _Akane…_

An aching pulse hit her head like a ton of bricks. Maybe being numb was better.

She remembered a camp sight sitting in the arms of a man, laughing.

_Genma…_ She attempted to smile at the image but found that her face still wouldn't respond fully. She felt for his chakra around her but could only sense two. _He must have gotten away._

Heavy lids began to open. Light invaded the comforting dark and she was surprised that the mask was no longer on her face. Then again, why so surprised? She was a prisoner tied to a tree. The voices grew in volume and along with inaccurate hearing she could only see blurs.

The man nudged his head in her direction. "You'll have to heal her too. She's not going to make it if you keep delaying." She saw his white-ish blue hair. Suigetsu was bandaged all over. His arm and his shoulder were uncovered, however, and she could see the purple and green signs of destroyed bones. She wanted to chuckle but her diaphragm didn't respond.

"What? We're just going to torture her, right? Why fix her up…" The woman pouted, glaring away. Karin's face was covered in little scraps and she had little patches of burns on her.

"I don't think she can take too much like that." Suigetsu was talking about her again, she assumed. She felt her energy gradually coming back. The night hadn't taken everything away.

"I bet the other guy knew more anyway. He was the leader." She muttered.

"But he didn't stay, did he? Besides, Sasuke says she's closer to the kid's age."

_Sasuke!_ She moved a little at the name and shut her eyes again, the light was too much. Perhaps she could get out of this before he returned. And, even better, she was starting to get some feeling back to her legs. Had they searched her yet? She was about to find out.

From her glove behind her she felt down her wrist for a… it was there. A thin razor blade kept in a metal sleeve. She now regretted putting that specific safety precaution on it as she pulled out the knife as quietly as she could. Metal sliding against metal was usually her favorite sound but in this situation, if they heard her taking out a weapon, they would beat her down again until she was an inch away from life.

Soundlessly, she dropped the cover into the snow, out of view of her overseers. She started to file away at the ropes. They frayed at the ends and she felt to see how much she had left to saw through. There was a quarter inch still to be cut.

Gently she wrapped her fingers around both sides of the rope so when it cut her binds wouldn't visually lag. She sliced through the last bit and the rope dropped. She placed the severed end in her other hand and searched in her sleeves for_ a_ _lethal_ weapon.

When she was scooting about she remembered that there was a spike in the tip of her shoe that could be activated with a solid heel kick to the ground. But that would have to wait. It was too suspicious to suddenly bang her foot against the ground.

There was no long weapon to be found. All of her useful tools had been stashed in her other outfit which was back at the hotel in the cleaner's. The items she _could _find were the standard set she kept in all of her clothes. Then she fingered something with a short ragged edge in near her shoulder blade. The weapon fit onto two fingers like a ring and the black metal hooked over away from her hand. It was smaller but it could easily cut out a jugular if need be.

Her captors were caught up in conversation. The time to act was now.

_You only have a second. _She forced her pulse to speed up. _Only a second. Be strong, be stronger. Move fast, _Her adrenaline pumped. _Move faster. Acceleration. Do not deviate. Attack…_

She took a deep breath. _Go!_

She flickered from the base of the tree and the ropes dropped to the earth. Her captors froze.

"Fuck…" Karin managed to mutter before a flash appeared between them. Suigetsu reached for his sword but the metallic claw dug into his broken collar bone, ripping it open, letting blood spew.

He gave an outraged cry and Karin pulled out a kunai. She sliced at Sakura but she was gone in a puff of white. They were blinded in the cloud.

There were small sounds. The snapping of a rope, then the creaking of branches sounded like a sprung trap. There was the sound of metal cutting through air… Sakura had found her kunai pack.

The two dove out of the smoke just as a rain of projectiles tenderized the ground where they had been sitting.

They looked around.

There was a fleeting object running in the opposite direction of the camp.

"Fuck!" Karin ran after while Suigetsu desperately held an article of clothing to his bleeding wound.

_If she gets away, Sasuke-kun will kill me!_ She started to catch up. Sakura was still in no condition to run for very long.

Where was the third? He had yet to show up and Sakura was sure that Suigetsu's call would draw _anyone's_ attention.

Just when the thought passed, straightaway there was the familiar sound of feet to wood. Sakura's eyes flashed to the side.

"Not this time!" Sakura whirled in air and bombarded Sasuke with shuriken she had stolen.

Sasuke dodged and blocked effortlessly, leaping into close vicinity with her. He grabbed her arm, twisting it around so she turned away from him and threw her into a tree trunk. Sakura dropped to the floor of the forest, clutching her side where a knot on the tree had hit her conveniently in the rib.

He jumped down to her level and watched her. She glared at him and kicked her heel against the tree. The small blade emerged from the toe of her shoe and she leapt at him. Sakura kicked and her unarmed foot was caught. Then she whirl-winded in the air and sliced his cheek before he could do anything. With an aggravated twitch, he grabbed her leg and whipped her into another tree. Sakura grunted and slid to the ground again.

When she sat up, Sasuke was no where to be seen.

"Shimata!" She began to turn when she recognized his spiky hair behind her and she took a blow to the head, knocking her out.

* * *

He was bleeding again. Sakura's patch up job hadn't lasted two minutes before it was already open and he was starting to slow down. The rain was still so powerful and the absence of light wasn't raising his hopes. The moon was hiding in the growing storm clouds.

_Ten minutes to the border city._ He forced his legs to keep moving. Sakura had given him an opportunity to run. He estimated that she could buy him at least three minutes. It was a head start but, with every step, he regretted leaving her.

His ANBU voice told him she made the right choice… _He_ made the right choice. But the sounds of battle haunted him. She could have been killed as soon as he left. She could be crying out to him right now… as she had when he left her.

_"Genma…"_

He had heard. He heard the fear in her voice and still he ran. He was a coward. He wasn't fit to be a shinobi. He had abandoned his teammate when they could have survived together.

_No…_ He clenched his fist around an open wound on his arm. _We would have both died, for certain. She made the choice to save me… I knew it was the only way._ Still he cringed at the thought of her fighting Team Hebi. He imagined Sasuke dealing the final blow.

_Calm down, Genma…_ He told himself, taking a deep breath. The cold air snapped him out of regret. _Sakura is still alive. You have to trust her._

Sakura's three minutes were almost up.

His thoughts drifted to distract him from his wounds. He thought of the day Sakura was assigned to his team.

_He stood before Tsunade. Her chin rested on her folded hands, waiting patiently._

_"I suggest Hidaka Akane as your tracker. She has accurate skills that can quickly locate Uchiha and remain undetected."_

_"Why, Hokage-sama? She is inexperienced in team assignments, strictly solo."_

_"I know." Tsunade pointed to a manila folder. "I was looking for her file earlier. Turns out she's one of the few who doesn't have a record outside of ANBU. She isn't even in the Bingo book." Genma appeared surprised. It took a lot to erase your existence from record. What had Akane been doing? "That's why you need her. Team Hebi will have record of every tracking shinobi and prepare for them but Hidaka is off their charts."_

_"Hai." He bowed, anxious to leave. He had lots of preparations to complete._

_Tsunade stopped him. "I have another suggestion."_

_He looked up. _Do I get a say in this at all?

_"You can come in now." Tsunade motioned for the door._

_Genma turned to see bubblegum pink hair and a smiling face. _Haruno Sakura?

_"Ohayo-gozaimasu!" The perky girl bowed her head quickly before dancing to Genma's side. She awaited Tsunade's orders._

_"Sakura… There is a mission for you. I want you to go with Shiranui Genma and Hidaka Akane to track down a team of four."_

_Genma looked at the kunoichi. "Sakura, what do you know of Uchiha Sasuke?"_

_Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped. She took a breath before speaking again. "He and I were apart of Team 7 as Genin. We remained on the same team until he left Konoha. I've been helping Tsunade keep up with where he's been and also investigated some of Orochimaru's activities up until Sasuke killed him…"_

_Genma sighed. She was definitely dedicated to the job but she seemed a little inexperienced._

_Tsunade spoke again after seeing the man's doubtful expression. "She is an accomplished medic, which you recommended on for this team. The fact that she knows Sasuke personally is only a side matter. I trust that she will get the job done." She looked from the squad leader to her apprentice. "That is, if you chose to take her on." Her demand was always an "offer"._

_"Well," he sighed. "We depart later today. Tell anyone you need to that you are leaving on an extended mission that could last a few months to half a year. Keep in mind that this _is_ a classified mission so do not violate its secrecy."_

_Sakura nodded, her grin was hidden behind her vibrant pink hair._

_"You are both dismissed."_

If only he hadn't accepted her…

He rethought that. If he hadn't accepted her, who would have taken her place? Who would have laughed at his jokes and played along with his charades? Who would willingly sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the team when any other medic would have stayed with him and they both would have been killed?

Sakura was fit for this mission. She was fit for this team. Akane… Akane knew that she was right for them. Sakura changed Akane, who had always been the solo worker, the unseen tracker, the spy. He had seen Akane in action before. She was always harsh and hated failure and distractions. But once the other kunoichi came into play, she assisted Sakura in many pranks against him… They had been his team for almost two months and now they were both dead…

No, he couldn't believe that.

But, Sakura's there minutes had past long ago. They could already be coming to kill him.

His vision wasn't doing so well anymore. He had experienced worse but the mental debate he was going through made it harder to concentrate on not passing out. If he became unconscious, someone from the village was bound to come across him and-

Abruptly a chakra signature came into view behind him. It was the Uchiha following him. He looked down at his feet and saw the perfect blood trail leading right to him.

With a curse, Genma ripped his uniform, exposing it to the winter's strike, and wrapped a cloth tightly around his leg. He knotted it.

_At least the bleeding will slow._ It did slow for a moment until it oozed down his thigh and calf then dripped onto the wood, just as before.

He had no energy to fight with the Uchiha and, after their last brawl, he knew that he was no match for him. He could sense the chakra's strength was double what it had been. _He must have activated the Sharingan…_

He touched the mic on his on his neck. The man just wanted to see. He just wanted to know…

"Is anyone there? Report." He said quietly, finding that his voice was worn out. "What is your condition?" _Please Sakura._

"_Shiranui Genma…_" was the response.

Genma squeezed the mic. First of all, Sasuke knew who he was. Did that mean that he also knew who Sakura was? Second, Sasuke had taken Sakura's mic… no, he had to hope it was Akane's, who he knew to be dead. He pleaded to himself that it was Akane's.

A surge of pain hit him in his leg and he tripped on the branches.

Genma reached out to grab onto a branch, a twig, a trunk, _anything_ before he smashed into the ground. He found nothing. There was a pile of gathered snow still hidden in the shadows and he landed in it gratefully.

Or not so gratefully. Not only had his leg wound fully opened again after traveling with semi-cooperation, he was now drenched in freezing water.

He stood and ran on the forest floor. He found it easier to move than at that higher altitude. His leg was still throbbing but the goal to get to that town kept him going. If Sakura wasn't dead yet, there was still hope.

Sasuke was catching up to him. If he didn't hurry, he could soon be overtaken. His feet moved without feeling. Genma silently thanked the cold for numbing his leg.

Sasuke was a minute away.

The village was twice that.

He could push it. He could run. No more slip ups. No more second thoughts. Sakura was probably dead. He had to accept it. He had to get a message to Konoha. He had to tell Kakashi what happened. He still had so much to do and he had a minute until death. He had only moments before he was killed.

How to take care of the bodies drifted into his thoughts without warning. A hawk could get a message to Konoha in a few days. Even then, it would take a week for the Konoha shinobi to get to the border city. That was too long to dispose of a corpse. He couldn't let some stranger from this village get them. He had to see. He couldn't see. The dead look on… on their faces. Genma refused to say the names. He was reluctant to think about what they would look like. Burnt and rotting flesh. Dead.

Dead.

His team was dead.

Sasuke was moments away from him.

He too would be dead. But should he die a shinobi's death? Should he fight? Should he kill himself, keeping Sasuke from having the pleasure of removing all three of them from this world?

_No._ He told himself. _Sakura didn't run. _He winced at her name. _As a man, as a shinobi of Konoha, I will not back down to a murderer._

Genma stopped. He was done. All there was left to do was turn around and fight.

The bleeding flowed without his notice. It warmed his leg and the slush at his feet was mixing with the red. He was feeling weakness corrode him from within. His body was a shell on the outside while he slowly lost himself on the inside. He could fall unconsciousness at any moment.

With the silence of a killer, Sasuke landed before him. He walked slowly forward as Genma's vision started to fade away. Sasuke was a blur.

His enemy's red eyes vanished, replaced by black as he placed a hand on Genma's shoulder.

The shinobi remembered nothing more.

* * *

Sakura stirred. She felt a lump on the back of her head as it throbbed. That, along with her ever present headache, was making her day spectacular.

"She's awake."

The owner of this cold voice approached her, blocking out the sunlight. This was somewhat of a relief. Light was only making the head pain worse.

The others stood and the woman trudged up to her. Sakura assumed it was to impress Sasuke with her aggressiveness.

"What's your name?" Karin kicked her leg.

It hurt more than she had expected and she winced. She must have landed on it badly in her tussle with Sasuke.

The dark man knelt, staring her in the face. She lifted her lids to see onyx black eyes staring into her sea foam green ones.

Something flickered on his face at her stare. Recognition? She hoped not.

"Name."

_Haruno Sakura._ She looked away from him

Sasuke's black eyes remained on hers.

Karin fidgeted for a moment before shouting at Sakura. "He asked you what your name was!"

Sakura glanced up at the woman with a 'were you talking?' look.

Suigetsu chuckled at Karin's reaction as she fumbled with her words. "Answer… him."

Sakura sighed and spoke in a hushed huff. "A hell of a group you've got." She met Sasuke with a bored expression on her face.

He ignored her comment and watched her eyes only, waiting in silence for a response.

"I am a shinobi of Konoha. Do you expect me to tell you my name?"

Karin cut in again. "It would be wise to tell us if you don't want to end up like your friend." She stood aside and pointed. The kunoichi didn't like the smirk on her enemy's face and she followed the finger to a dark pile not too far from the campsite.

There, covered in grime and blood, was her companion. Dead eyes trapped Sakura in their gaze and she could see the fire, still burning her.

"I can't wait to rip her apart and see what goodies there are inside."

_Akane!_ She clenched her fists. Her hands had been tied back again but there were seals on the rope and wood, alarms, if she got any bright ideas. Hate heated her blood and she glared at Karin.

Words didn't form. They couldn't express her rage and she began to shake. Sasuke's eyes changed and Sakura forced herself to inspect them. Her fury didn't settle. It spiked in his face but Sakura experienced perplexity, in awe at his exposition.

"The body will be destroyed as it would in if a Konoha shinobi found it. It will not be disturbed further after that."

Sakura's enmity faded at his blank yet veracious face.

"Name."

Sakura thought with bewilderment present on her features.

Name. She couldn't give him her _real _name ant any costs. She had no clue as to what his reaction would be if he found out who she _actually_ was.

Name… He wanted her name badly enough to make a _deal _with her. What did they want from her other than to interrogate her? Why did her name matter?

_Akane… _She looked to the body. Abruptly she swelled with hope and confidence._ This mission isn't over yet. I'll find out what they're after and we'll get Sasuke home._

"Hidaka," Sakura paused. Could she pull this off? She saw Sasuke's demeanor alter and maybe even a smirk start on his face. What was his plan? She had to know. She had to complete this mission. She had to come out on top. She would fight… for Naruto, for Kakashi, for Genma… and… for "Akane."

* * *

Hehehe… This was a fun chapter to write. Now you know what happened to Genma.

I like where this story is going. There are a lot of things left unsaid and that's just the way I like it!

Next Chapter – Trapped

IAmNotANut


	6. Trapped

Playlist: Makes No Difference to Me (Sum 41).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Trapped

* * *

Sakura sat watching the team pack their things. Well, she watched _two_ of them pack. Sasuke was missing the action.

Sakura observed their tactics of cleaning and these two were like polar opposites. Karin was neat and tidy, picking up every overturned stone, righting everything that they had disturbed. Suigetsu, on the other hand, was causing more trouble than there had been in the first place. It was truly a mystery how they hadn't been caught. This man was undeniably the sloppiest ninja Sakura had ever seen. He was _much_ worse than Naruto had ever been. Then again, Karin was there to correct everything he had undone so they fit well together as a team.

After a few more minutes of watching, Sasuke returned.

Sakura looked up into the sky to see smoke rising. _Akane…_She turned away. Why did it have to be fire? Why hadn't he done it in any other way?

Sasuke stopped a short distance from her. She stared at him with a dead look in her eyes. She allowed them to soften and show her gratitude. Even if it wasn't the way she had wanted, he had kept his promise.

"We're moving."

"Hai." Both called.

They were just about to move when Sasuke froze, staring at Sakura. _Is _he_ going to carry me?_

"Suigetsu."

_Damn it…_ She scowled. Why couldn't Sasuke carry her? Because she would be a "burden". Why couldn't Karin carry her? Because she was wimpy and couldn't handle it. Besides, that woman would probably drop her in a river just to be rid of her.

In the end, it was still an inconvenience. Suigetsu already had a large sword to lug around. He didn't need to add a one-fifty pound woman onto that.

She had heard from a few people that the former man in their group, Juugo, was big enough to hold ten women. She doubted the honesty of the number but when she was checking out his hair color in the Bingo book she saw that his size was abnormal.

When Suigetsu looked at her she was already feeling gross. He reached to pick her up and wrapped his arm around her stomach. His hand brushed her breast too coincidentally and she snapped her head to look at him.

He eyes were stuck on her body like she was something to eat and she quivered. This was humiliating and foul. He lifted her gently, a lot softer than she had expected, and tossed her over his shoulder. This looked so wrong. Suigetsu's hand was high on her thigh, higher than necessary. Of course, what could Sakura do about it? The kunoichi simply relaxed on the man's shoulder and complained to herself about how awkward she was feeling. The mesh part of her shirt was a little scandalous in her upside-down position. But, once again, what was there to do about it? It was her own fault for getting the shirt in the first place. Thankfully her pants weren't as close fitting as the shirt. Sakura was also very pleased by the fact that they hadn't stripped her all the way down to her black camisole and tight leggings under what she had on. The black haired woman _counted_ her blessings.

Suigetsu was grinning as he nodded to Sasuke that he was ready. Sasuke didn't give the odd pair a second look as they disappeared into the night.

When Suigetsu leapt up, Sakura almost fell off. He stopped for a moment and rebalanced her. Her tone stomach was against his shoulder. He was about to place his hand where he shouldn't and Sakura elbowed him.

"Look where my knee is."

He looked down with a little worry on his face. Her knee was right next to his crotch. One super knee kick to that spot and he would never walk again. The man gave an intimidated chuckle.

The four moved in silence. Occasionally, Karin would try to pick up a conversation with Sasuke, only to be ignored. Then Karin would pout until she decided to try again. This happened only twice before Sasuke told her to be quiet… Well, he didn't say anything, but the look he gave her shut her up right away.

With a sigh Sakura refused to remain in silence any longer. "Why am I still alive?"

"If you don't want to be alive anymore I can easily amend that." Then Suigetsu laughed. His shoulders shook and Sakura was surprised the shark toothed man didn't shimmy her off entirely.

"Let me rephrase."

"Please do."

"What do you need me for?"

"You're… a bargaining chip." Sakura felt in his pulse that he was lying. She slumped. Now she would have to deal with his blabbering over nothing.

She played along hoping to get something valuable out of him. "For what party?"

"Ah, it doesn't really matter. If there's anyone that wants you dead, we'll turn you in for spare change."

Sakura laughed humorlessly. "Really now?" Suigetsu's bad jokes were going to kill her before this was all over.

"Yes, isn't it exiting!?"

Sakura was bored with his idiocy, "What are you really after." Her tone was deadly serious and Suigetsu was trapped in silence. Sakura grumbled and tried again. "What's your purpose?"

"Serving Sasuke is my purpose." There was sarcasm and bitterness in his tone. Sakura could only guess that he owed Sasuke a favor and nothing more. Suigetsu always seemed willing to pick a fight with the Uchiha. That was the only explanation for his behavior and attitude.

"Baka." She muttered.

Just as Suigetsu's mouth opened to speak again Sasuke spoke with unmistakable authority. "We're passing into Rain." Sakura tried to look into Suigetsu's –correction– Zabuza's sword to see Sasuke's image in the reflection but instead she found herself staring into her own image. Sakura looked into tired green eyes and then sighed at her black hair. She would have sulked a little longer if she hadn't notices something unimaginable. There was pink at her roots. Her hair wasgrowing out. Pink… pink… Never had she been so happy or so frightened. If Sasuke saw her naturally pink hair he would certainly realize who she was. She reached up with her bound hands and brushed it slightly. The evident pink undertones of her hair were brought out.

"Shimata." Sakura looked around. Even as a Jounin, a Black Op., she didn't even think to bring black hair dye with her. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Sakura's mind raced.

_I could conceal it. Just like the ANBU tattoo._ She thought of the swirling black mark printed on her arm. All there was to hiding it was forcing a little chakra into it and, if she could disguise it like that, she could certainly change her hair color.

She swore to herself at Genma's accurate prediction.

_"You know that dye won't last forever." Genma was chewing on a little dried meat as the team rested in the trees. His senbon was held gingerly in his fingers._

_Sakura snorted. "It's a possibility, but it'll serve its purpose for now. If it gets too noticeable we'll find a little town to buy some new dye from."_

_"What's with this 'we'? It's not like we can just abandon the mission for a hair problem." Akane muttered from her position. "Besides, which one of you brought money?"_

_Sakura grumbled to herself. Of course she didn't bring money. The leader was in charge of that in case their stock of food got low._

_Genma chuckled. "I do not intend to share." Sakura gawked. "I want to see what it looks like. I bet it'll be like your going bald. Hey, at least you can pull off being a nun."_

_"Nuns don't shave the top of their heads, stupid. Monks do."_

_Genma laughed aloud. "Haha! Alright, alright… My mistake."_

She stifled a laugh at the memory. Genma was right. She did look like she was going bald. Gradually, Sakura pulled tiny bits of chakra from every nook and cranny of her body to her head. Suigetsu did a great job of draining her chakra, leaving her barely alive this time. She guessed that a super kick to his groin would actually be unlikely. But all the same, the amount of chakra she estimated to fulfill her cover-up was too minuscule to be noticed. She watched in the sword as the pink was enveloped in black once more. Suddenly Suigetsu stopped and practically threw her on the ground.

The ground was stony and Sakura felt her head rattle when it hit the ground. Her forearms skidded and she quickly got onto her knees. In front of her was Karin.

_This'll be fun._ She chuckled quietly.

Karin grabbed her recently colored hair and tried dragged her past pillars of stone. They were in a field of ruins. Stone, rotted trees, and an innumerable infestation of dead vines covered the area. Sakura allowed Karin to tug her and barely noticed the pain. She had always had a hard head, and moved willingly, walked on her knees to a thick tree.

Suigetsu was waiting with –_Oh joy!–_ more rope. They worked quickly and, before Sakura could blink twice, she was tied securely to the tree trunk. Karin stood in front of her. She had a frowning look on her face. But it went off like a light when she turned her head to look at Sasuke. He was standing passively against a tree, almost out of view. Sakura could barely see him in the current lighting anyway but she would bet her left shoe that he was looking anywhere but at his little redhead fan. Sakura had a strong feeling of déjà vu and smiled at Karin's childish-girly-ness. Then the kunoichi looked back at Sakura, whose smile was still in place.

Karin gripped the collar of her shirt. Sakura growled at the contact and fought against her sudden wish to swipe off Karin's head. Her hands remained securely tied behind her. "You're going to tell me everything I want to know, got it?"

"So you say…"

She lifted the raven haired woman's collar and Sakura looked away, unfazed. Karin shouted in her face. "Tell me where Uzumaki Naruto is!"

Perplexity smacked her in the face and Sakura's head whipped back to see if she was serious. "What?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, where is he!?" Karin's face had a forced expression of anger in it. It wasn't the right feel for threatening someone during an interrogation. Her eyes were squinted too tightly and her eyebrows were pushed together unnaturally.

Sakura's curiosity was drenched in satire and remained unseen because of it. "What do you want with Uzumaki Naruto?"

"Answer me!" Again there was the misplaced threat. Sakura huffed at Karin's pathetic attempt.

Sakura looked over the woman's shoulder to Sasuke who remained hidden in the shade of the tree. "What is it? Do you miss Naruto?" Sasuke twitched.

"If you don't answer me-"

Karin's grip tightened but Sakura brushed it off. "Or is this your sick way of finishing the job you started. Why didn't you kill him when you had the chance, Sasuke?"

Karin's certitude was crumbling at Sakura's feet. "I'm answering -I mean- I'm asking the questions here!"

Sakura's green eyes bore into Sasuke's black ones, which were fully turned onto her. "And what about the rest of them? Team 7 _really _misses you, Sasuke-_kun._" With that Sasuke pushed off the tree and advanced.

He reached her before another retort could escape her and, without a moment's hesitation, he shoved Karin out of the way. His hand slammed down beside Sakura's head and he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You apparently don't understand your situation." Suddenly a cold hand was at her throat. "Suffer no delusion; I will kill you if you ever speak like that again."

Sakura's vision was starting to get blurry at the end of his harbinger. Even though he genuinely choking her at first. Then his grip loosened enough for a breath to wheeze in and out of Sakura. Her eyes drifted to his, the venom in them hadn't weakened. His Sharingan was blaring in her face and Sakura coughed a snicker.

"At least I know how to get on your good side, ne?"

Sasuke's turbulent smirk sent a thrill of fear through her and he shoved her neck into the tree, releasing her to gasp in a breath.

Karin was a little out of arms reach from Sakura, chuckling giddily at her punishment. Sakura's eyes snapped to the kunzite and Karin stopped immediately, startled. Not a second later, Sakura shot her foot in the air and super-kicked the woman in the jaw, sending her flying backward.

The red head landed and Suigetsu, who leaned against his sword, broke into a fit of laughter. Sasuke didn't even glance back as he strode silently off into the woods.

Karin shot up and whimpered in overdone cuteness. "Sasuke-kun… she kicked me." Sasuke was already gone. "Sasuke-kun!"

"Annoying."

Sakura laughed loudly and, after slowly lowering her foot, she slid down the tree and relaxed her back against it.

It was going to be a long night.

…

­_­"Naruto…"_

He's not here.

_"Naruto! Please!"_

He's not here anymore.

_"Sasuke, stop him!"_

They've left you.

_Two pairs of red eyes flickered onto her. One started to change, flashing blue. "Sakura… Sakura! You're alright!"_

_The second looked startled. He watched. With those eyes he watched her, waiting for something to happen. "Sakura… It was you."_

_Suddenly pain came to her stomach. She looked down at her hands. They were stained with blood. Orochimaru was staring her in the face._

_"NO!" Naruto shouted from behind. Again his eyes turned red along with his skin._

They don't see you.

_She brushed her hands against shining metal. It burned inside her and moved like it was alive. She started to smile. The heat was removing the pain. "It's okay, Naruto-"_

_"It's mine!" His eyes were locked on her stomach as he dove at Orochimaru._

_The image shattered._

They've left you behind again.

…

Sakura awoke, gasping. She stared blindly into the night, searching for those eyes. Searching for that glint of metal. That glint of malice.

"Go back to sleep, Hidaka."

Sakura's sight adjusted to the darkness and saw onyx instead of red. Sasuke sat across from her, staring. _Watching_.

Without protest her eyes shut again.

…

Karin was sitting on the rubble from the ruins. "What if she doesn't know anything?"

"Why are you so bitchy?" Suigetsu's voice was easily identified.

"I don't like her." Karin hissed, passing over his question. "She's hiding something."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she was. She's only been abducted by wanted murderers."

Karin sat up proudly. "_You_ may be a murderer but _I'm_ a scientist."

Suigetsu finished for her. "That did experiments on innocent people where many of them died."

"But it wasn't my fault!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Suigetsu leapt up to an arc of stone and laid on his back. The sun was hidden behind clouds. As he watched with his pail eyes he pulled a water bottle from his side and took a swig.

"I wonder where Sasuke went…"

"He left sometime last night. I bet he's going ahead. You know how he is. He hates it when he had to drag us around when he's looking for something." Suigetsu threw the bottle into the air and caught it again. He played this game of catch while looking up blankly in thought.

Karin sighed. This place was boring without Sasuke. "What's he looking for?"

"Why don't you ask him?" Karin went quiet. Suigetsu chuckled. "You know he'll just blow you off, ne?"

"Shut up!" She shouted. "Are you going to tell me or not!? I know you know…"

Suigetsu shrugged.

Karin pouted.

Her pouting was annoying. As was the pathetic glare she gave him from behind her glasses. In fact, every aspect of Karin was annoying.

"He's checking for that Jinchuuriki. The old Sannin was said to have stayed here once before and he's just checking out the old place. But he doesn't want to attract attention so we're steering clear of Ame and the nin patrolling around here."

Sakura's eyes snapped open. That was all she wanted to know for now. If they had these kind of conversations very often she would figure out their plans in no time flat.

Suigetsu noticed her awakened state.

"Akane-chan! Ohayo~!" He jumped down and walked over to her with a toothy grin.

Sakura groaned. She was a morning person on a usual basis but waking up to that face was beginning to change her mind. "I can't wait to kill you."

He laughed, of course. Then he knelt down, first checking to see that she hadn't snapped the ropes before placing his hand on her cheek. He rubbed it with his thumb, enjoying the crinkle between her brows.

"Your cheek is soft… Your ass is really soft, too, you know that right?"

She twitched. This harassment would go no further. She pulled in her chakra and Suigetsu crouched there, watching her eyes switch from disgusted to menacing.

Before he could get away she head butted him, knocking him flat on his back.

"God damn it!" He said rubbing his forehead. "I guess I'll stick to caressing you in your _sleep_."

She roared at him. "If you touch me again, I'll kill you!"

Sasuke was back just in time to hear her last threat.

He looked at the fallen shinobi with a passive look. "Remember that she's merely our hostage, Suigetsu."

Suigetsu smirked. "What the hell are you gonna do if I-"

"Don't you defend me, Sasuke! I can take care of myself!" Sakura turned her rage toward the Uchiha.

Sasuke prolonged his gaze and through his eyes she read 'did you just yell at me? For your sake I hope not.'. He stepped to face her.

"I don't need any help from you." She growled, successfully pissing him off.

"Suigetsu." The white haired man looked at Sasuke curiously. But the shinobi was still scrutinizing the woman tied to the tree. His contentious glare fought against Sakura's deliberate defiance. She clearly knew how to get on Sasuke's _'good'_ side. "If you find it necessary to break her…" Suigetsu's mouth pulled up into a smirk. "Make sure I am not present."

With that, the man walked away and a trail of frustration followed him. Suigetsu smiled suggestively at Sakura, just as Sasuke passed him and it was out of his line of vision. But Sakura didn't see, thankfully. She was too busy staring after Sasuke, red as a cherry. Her scowl returned.

If that was the game he wanted to play, so be it.

* * *

Forgive me for being childish. I'm only human. I love Sasuke! I hope he wasn't too OOC…. I really hope not. For some reason I understand him doing something like that if he was really put off.

Don't worry about useless lemon in this fic. However, this fic will earn its M rating!

Next Chapter – Truth (This will be my favorite chapter so far! Yours too, I hope)

IAmNotANut


	7. Truth

Breanna () – Thank you so much for your review! I will make those alterations as soon as possible, all but the ordeal over Sakura's hair. (Her eyebrows are also dyed… If Tsunade made Sakura dye her hair she'd have to go the whole way.) That is way too embedded to remove from the fic or alter (Even though you are completely right about OOCness). Answering another question of yours: Akane is, in fact, mine. You like her? Again, thank you so much, Breanna-cha~an! Your opinion means a lot to me.

That goes for all of you! If you see something wrong with my story you have the right to yell at me and tell me to change it! (Okay, don't yell… it makes me sad. But do critique, onegai-shimasu!)

(Arianna-hime – of course it's alright to call me Ianan… it's cute and very flattering!)

Playlist: Time Won't Let Me Go (The Bravery), Thnks Fr Th Mmrs (Fall Out Boy), and Mr. Brightside (The Killers).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Truth

* * *

"Shiranui-san?" A soft voice came from his side.

_Sakura?_

"Shiranui-san? Are you awake?"

_Sakura is here with me. Thank goodness._

"He's moving, Tou-san."

"I'll tell the manager." Another deeper voice came from further away. _Who is that?_

"Is he any better?" A third voice joined him. At that point, Genma opened his eyes to see a blond, still in her early teens, keeping a big brown eye on him. Behind her, holding onto the back of the chair was a large man. He was clearly her father.

The person on the other side of him was a small old man with bushy gray eyebrows and a bald head. His chin was covered in a fluffy beard.

Genma cleared his throat and looked to the old man who had spoken last. "I'm fine." He slowly sat up to prevent blood from rushing out of his head.

"Do you know where you are?" The little girl tilted her head.

"No."

"This is the border city hotel. We found you on the desk in the front office. I was gone only a moment and, when I came back, you where there bleeding!" Genma's eyes widened.

He had survived…

Genma tried to remember what had happened. He tried to remember escaping, or maybe fending off Sasuke until help came and took him to the hotel, but he couldn't recall any of it.

The room he was in was dirty and cluttered. He was lying on a feather mattress with an old blanket draped over him. There was light slipping though the window. He could tell from the chilling air leaking though the old pane that it was a brisk morning and the sun was no longer behind black clouds.

"When did you find me?"

"I'd say it was late, late in the night almost two days ago. This little girl fixed up your leg just fine. You were half dead when we-" Genma shot from the bed. He was out the door before the old man could react.

The man left the hotel as quickly as possible. He winced, the bandaged leg would start bleeding again if he pushed it.

He ran as fast as he could manage to the bird tower near the edge of town. The stairs to the top were a hassle, but he found it possible to skip steps as he ascended.

There were two shinobi he didn't recognize at their posts.

"You two! I need to send a message to Tsunade-sama right away. It is of great importance."

* * *

The moon was getting close to being full. It illuminated the night.

Sakura was awake. What Suigetsu said a week ago was still giving her shivers. _Try and caress me now and you'll have a _very_ unpleasant surprise waiting for you._ She heard approaching footsteps and was about to laugh ironically at the timing of it, until she recognized Sasuke walking toward her. He had been gone most of the day, every day, for the entire week. Sakura hadn't stayed awake long enough to see him return on most occasions.

He sat down a small distance away and began his routine guard duty. His eyes were locked on her.

"If you keep staring at me like that I'll gouge out your eyes."

"I'd like to see you try." That was a different response than what Sakura had expected. Maybe the night was wearing on him.

Sasuke remained where he was but adjusted so he had one knee up, propping his elbow, with the other leg straight in front of him.

"Where is Uzumaki Naruto." He was continuing to try after Karin _and_ Suigetsu's attempts?

Sakura rolled her eyes. "My best guess it that he's at home, asleep, after eating too much ramen."

Sasuke smirked at her answer, then gave Sakura a bored look. "I'm not stupid, Hidaka. Tell me where he is."

The kunoichi shrugged.

"Why did they only send three of you." Sakura promised herself that, if Sasuke didn't put voice differentiation in his questions, she was going to kill something.

Sasuke waited patiently. He wasn't dropping his question. Sakura debated on how important this information was. When she deemed it safe, she answered. "We aimed to be undetected. But I'm guessing that your trip through Fire County was done purposely to draw away an unsuspecting group of shinobi."

He passed over her deduction. "The Hokage organized this." Another hidden question.

Sakura mocked him. "No, a secret cult set it up behind her back. Who else would have?" He knew the answers to most of these questions. Why did he ask? "As a Black Op. I am required to complete any mission-" She almost continued with 'shishou' but swallowed the word before it slipped out. "-the Hokage gives me."

"Why did you join the ANBU." Interest mingled in his voice.

Sakura was startled at how personal this question was. "I did it for a friend." She bit her lip. Thankfully the light was still dim enough for him not to see.

Sasuke waited. Why did he care?

"My friend was taken from me. I vowed to save him and I've been trying to ever since. Kakashi-"

"Hatake Kakashi?" He cut in. His head, which had lowered as he listened, snapped up again.

_Damn it…_ She cursed. How could she let that slide? She thought quickly. "He was my teichou on many missions and helped me improve my skills as a shinobi." She looked down. It was fact, a disguised one, but a fact all the same. "I've worked with him for many years now."

Sasuke went silent again. He wanted to hear more, still?

"I've gotten a lot stronger than I use to be and I'm sure that I would make my friend proud, if he could see me." She breathed a laugh. She was referring to Naruto this time. She liked talking to him like this. It made her feel at ease. "He's been gone a long time and I want to make sure I'm no longer a burden to him when he comes back." She emphasized on 'burden' and looked at Sasuke's face for a reaction. There was none.

The sound of creaking branches and the occasional fall of snow was all that passed between them in the campsite. Where were Suigetsu and Karin? They must be taking shifts to watch her. That was the only explanation she had for Sasuke's presence.

She was beginning to get tired and she hoped that the next person to watch her wasn't Suigetsu.

A gust of wind hit her and it sent a tremor of cold shivers all over. Her mesh shirt and thin long sleeves where hardly enough to keep her warm.

"Hidaka."

She tarried. "What?"

The man looked into her clear green eyes with an inquiring mind.

Sasuke spoke so little but those deep dark eyes said_ so much_ more. He looked so young. Like all of those years of running and searching had melted away. "My friend was top of his class as a Genin. I was also top of my class but in a different way. I was smart but I had always lacked strength. Still I strived to get his attention." She hummed a chuckle. "He was cold to everyone around him. But when it came down to it, he knew who was important to him and he protected them despite the attitude he held towards his team. He was never afraid. Well, he never let anyone see it." She looked away. This conversation was dragging on too long and she couldn't keep a straight face anymore. Sadness turned down her smile and her eyes softened. "You know what it's like to loose someone, don't you? I guess you know that more that I do…"

"Aa."

Sakura looked back to him. He was staring off into the sky now.

"What made you go?" Sakura asked in a hushed voice. She didn't want to offend him after such a calm and refreshing talk.

"I left Konoha by choice… There were things I needed to do that I couldn't complete in Konoha. I couldn't follow that path."

"Did you ever try?" Sakura leaned forward.

Sasuke paused. His gaze remained up at the clear sky. There were a few clouds present but the moon was clear. "No. I knew that it wasn't possible."

Sakura shook her head. "That's what I don't understand… How can you be sure if you never tried?" She tightened her muscles. Anger gathered. "Why couldn't _he_ have at least waited for something to change? Why hadn't he waited for his friends to _help_ him? Why did he have to do everything on his own?" Sakura's eyes squinted. She wouldn't cry. Not now. Not in front of him.

Sasuke was peering at her eyes. The jade shimmered in the swelling tear. "He didn't want it to end badly."

"Like hell, he did! He didn't trust us!" Sakura was practically yelling now. "He was afraid of what it might do to his_ goal_!" Sakura closed her jaw acutely. She was worried her voice might crack. "He knew that his _goal_ might change if he stayed." Sasuke appeared daunted by her statement. Sakura sat there for a moment, shaking terribly from the cold and from the unnerving dialogue. "He was afraid he wouldn't be able to do both."

Sakura was worn out. She couldn't deal with that speculating look he gave her. She refused to be awake when he walked away.

Torn between wanting him to leave and begging him to stay, Sakura wasn't awake to see what Sasuke chose.

…

Morning was dreary.

It was warmer than last night, however. Sakura started to sit up from where she had slid closer to the ground when something fell off of her, exposing Sakura to obscured brumal breezes.

Sakura looked down with sleepy eyes to see a black cloak. It had been lying on top of her and had a thin layer of snow on it. She smiled at the nice gesture.

_No, no, no. Sakura, think logically. All of Team Hebi need you alive to find Naruto for whatever reason. It would be necessary for them to keep you alive._ Sakura nodded at her inner self's judgment. _The snow would be more than enough to die of hypothermia…_

Sakura started to stand but the ropes snagged around the tree and she stuck fast.

_Damn it, that hurt. _The rope's fibers were frozen and had become spiky. She straightened her legs and the cloak then fell off of her entirely into the snow.

_Damn it!_ She reached for it but to no avail. It was getting wet. Sakura moaned.

While she was attempting to squat and reach a pale hand picked it up and brushed it off.

Sasuke stared at her with an incredulous face. "Suigetsu and Karin are in the next town getting supplies. We should to get past Ame by the end of the day."

_We?_ Sakura held a questioning countenance. _Is he going to carry me?_

"If you try to run I'll catch you." Sasuke glared at her from a moment. His voice was just as threatening as the first day of interrogation.

Sakura didn't understand. _Does that mean he's…_ Before she could respond the ropes were cut and Sasuke handed her a stack of clothes and a pair of boots.

She was shocked but took the clothes all the same. It was a bland uniform but it appeared just her size.

"If Karin's clothes do not fit you will remain in your old clothes." Sakura thought about the bloody and singed fabric. She shook her head. "Change quickly. We leave in two minutes."

He walked away slowly, vanishing in the woods.

Sakura doubted that he would go very far and he was right, he could catch her easily, so running was out of the question. It wasn't worth another headache.

The kunoichi hid behind a tree, attempting to find some privacy. She thought about removing her camisole, it was a little burnt, but chose against it because of its durability. She didn't want to part with her old pants either but when she saw what Karin had she had to reconsider. The fabric was water resistant. That would have been handy a few days ago. Now that they were further north there was no need. The shirt was white with black sleeves and the pants were black like her current pair but they weren't as heavy (The pants she wore were heavy only when they were drenched in water). Sakura didn't like how short this new pair was, however. Karin probably kept these pants for emergencies. _Why won't they just _buy_ my new clothes? _Sakura sighed. It was obvious that they didn't want to spend money on her when they had some unused clothes lying around. After all, they needed her to be alive but they didn't need her to be happy.

Sakura took off her baggy pants and muddied shoes. She used a little chakra to stick to the tree, trying to keep her feet off the permafrost. The air was so cold; quickly, she put on the pants to block the breeze. Her legs shivered. They would feel great once warmed but right now the fabric fitting closely to her form was far from cozy. She pulled the boots on and laced then hurriedly. The thin white strings crisscrossed all of the way up and the busy work was hard with frozen fingers.

She distracted herself from her quivering legs and looked through her other attire. She found her shin and forearm guards hiding in the shirt and put the metal for her legs into place. Because of the short pants legs the shin guards were in full view. Her boots came up to the hem and could easily be tucked in to keep out any shifty winds while still looking decent. The shoes were a lot warmer than what she had previously been wearing. Konoha didn't get a bad winter so it was hard to judge what kind of cold to prepare for.

The kunoichi quickly pulled off her shirt and replaced it with the new one. She had hardly looked at it but she figured if it was anything like the pants she would be alright. It was also laced.

Sakura fiddled with it impatiently. "Stupid laces…" She tugged at the red strings, moving the shirt from side to side.

She almost stopped lacing near the top but the shirt was more like a corset than she had thought and it pushed her breasts out. There was no reason to provoke Suigetsu's teasing more than she already had and her chest was already bound so finishing lacing was completely possible; the only problem was that she was beginning to loose feeling to her fingers. Where were her gloves? She looked around. It wasn't that shocking to find her gloves missing when they first took her clothes because the metal plate across the back of the hand had many tiny sewing needle sized senbon under it. Those would have come in handy if she's remembered their existence in her one and only escape attempt.

The kunoichi found the black gloves on the other side of the tree. They must have fallen from the stack when Sasuke handed it to her.

As she stood up again and pulled on the gloves, not noticing a figure that didn't quite fit in with the dismal trees.

Sakura looked up. Sasuke just so happened to be standing there. He looked a little startled at her current exposition. The woman gasped and scurried behind the trunk again before he could see her blush. She finished lacing to cover her half exposed breasts, fumbling over the strands before tying off the ends near the top which came mid way up the neck.

_Kuso… Kuso, kuso, kuso!_ She left a few holes unlaced for breathing room which she desperately needed to calm he heart beat.

Sakura tried to cool her cheeks off with her palms and took a deep breath. Once she was sure the redness was gone she went around the corner.

She realized that she had overshot Sasuke's time limit. It had been much _more_ than two minutes and Sasuke must have come to check on her. She expected that he would have vanished temporarily to let her finish dressing but he was there against the tree as if nothing had happened.

"We're headed into enemy territory." He motioned toward something in the snow. Sakura's face brightened at the sight of her pack of weapons and the small stack of tools that were laid out. She guessed that Team Hebi inspected the pack for any information she had been withholding.

Her intuition flickered. What ever happened to the scroll Tsunade sent? Naruto's current location (as current as they could manage) was written there.

_They would have gotten rid of me by now if they had that scroll. _She breathed easy again as she picked up her weapons, strapping the pack onto her thigh where it went on regular missions. Her eyes widened at another bundle of black sitting aside to her tools of war.

It was a black cloak with a large hood. Sakura picked it up gently. It wasn't the same one she slept under, she was sure. Sakura put it on, none the less, and turned to look at Sasuke. He was waiting.

Sakura nodded and the two of them leapt into the trees.

The snow covered everything. Sakura found herself smiling at it's beauty. She looked over at Sasuke whose eyes were looking ahead. He noticed her observing him but did nothing.

She wanted to talk with him more.

"Your old team's been busy."

His lip twitched. Maybe she would yet a smirk out of him again.

She continued. "Kakashi and Tsunade have been discussing her successor. If Naruto doesn't hurry he's going to be replaced."

Sasuke fought a chuckle. Sakura was ecstatic. If she could get this kind of rise out of him then maybe there was still hope for the return of the sarcastic and rude teen he'd been so long ago.

"Naruto left to train with Jiraiya right after you left. He stayed away for years, you know. Kakashi was worried that he'd lost another student." She didn't care about his reaction to that. His face darkened slightly. Sakura guessed that he was remembering those days. "Kakashi didn't do much in those days. You didn't see too much of him. Haruno went on to train under Tsunade." She giggled inside. Speaking in third person was really strange. "She aimed at becoming a medic and wanted to get stronger for when they went after you." Sakura wondered for a moment if Sasuke would make that connection between what she just now and last night. "They were really determined, you know. You should have seen Naruto when he came back. He was so different yet still just the same. He wasn't as stupid and finally started to pace himself. That idiot…" She smiled softly. "Sakura and Naruto got really close… She really needed that kid. She needed a boost sometimes when things were tough.

"They spent months rushing to find you before Orochimaru got to you. But they wasted a lot of time fighting the Akatsuki. It was such a relief to them when Tsunade found out you killed Orochimaru. Naruto and Sakura had time. That's when Team 7 started to plot. They knew that if they got to Itachi they could find you. They spent three years searching for the both of you. But the Akatsuki only come out when they want to…" Sasuke seemed to agree with that. "And Naruto would always come home wrapped up like a mummy." She laughed dryly. "It was terrifying. We all knew what he was but we still believed in him. He had changed so much… He had gained so much but lost it in other ways. The Kyuubi was getting to be a problem for him. He couldn't face you with that demon screwing up his hopes. So he went off again after only three years…" Sakura stopped. She pushed her limit just now, saying that. The kunoichi had almost said that Naruto had gone to Earth Country. She felt so stupid.

Sasuke looked at her smugly. She scowled.

The terrain was changing. There were less and less trees and more and more precipitation. Trees came in clumps or were spread across hills.

The kunoichi looked back at Sasuke and took his silence as an 'okay' to keep going. "Sakura and I were on a team together once right after Naruto left. She wouldn't shut up about him so I had to listen to that for a few months." Sasuke showed no reaction. _Shimata… I want him to say "Hn. Annoying." _"She talked about Naruto and what he'd say to you when you came back."

"_When_?" He pointed out with a grunt.

Sakura laughed. "It's a little hard to dissuade Naruto, ne?" Sasuke smirked. _Success!_ "He'd planned to beat on you for a few weeks before forgiving you. Naruto use to go on rants about what he'd show you, the new techniques and skills he gathered over the years. He'd prove to you, Sasuke, that it was worth coming back." Sakura paused. "He misses calling you 'teme'." Her eyes lowered a little. Naruto had missed it a lot. "He says it in place of your name to get as caught up for all the years when he couldn't say it to you. I bet it was a little hard to get use to." She turned to him. "Not saying 'shut up, dobe' every five minutes."

"Aa." Sasuke nodded once. "That idiot couldn't stop talking."

"He's hard to ignore." She smiled. These moments were so pleasant. She almost forgot that Sasuke was still her enemy.

The rain was thickening.

Sakura felt a strange aura in the downpour and suddenly Sasuke's eyes turned red. The shinobi looked ahead of them. Sakura sensed it too.

There was a team of nin headed for them. They looked like a scouting party from the nearby city. A Rain ninja could easily think that two people traveling away from the villages were a pair of spies.

Sasuke made eye contact with her. "Prepare to battle."

Sakura nodded sharply. Silent kills would be most convenient. There was no need to cause a ruckus.

Sasuke was thinking the same landed calmly and in seconds were surrounded by opposing nin.

They kept their breaths calm. It would be done in a moment.

"What business do you have so close to Ame?"

"We have a friend living in a village close by."

One of them hopped down from the tree. He looked younger than the others. His eyes were on Sakura. "You look a little armed for travelers." He walked closer to the kunoichi.

She looked away with fake shyness.

"Is somethin' wrong, sugar?" He reached to place a hand on her when Sakura's hands flew from the cloak, stabbing the man in the neck with two senbon. He fell lifelessly to the earth.

Sasuke was gone from her side as she threw deadly accurate needles at the next two. But before they could hit on the second target he dropped from the trees with his other teammate. Sasuke's hands had the light glow of Chidori on them. Sakura ran to check them. She placed a hand on their necks. The woman could tell that they were alive but the nerves down the spine had been wounded but not completely severed. They were paralyzed.

Sakura looked up to him. There were more coming. An unseen escape was impossible now.

Sasuke and Sakura bolted. The woman cursed. _It would actually be _convenient_ to have a chakra Houdini right now._

Two energies were at their sides, converging with them. Sasuke held up a hand as Sakura prepared with intent to kill. As if called by her thoughts, Karin and Suigetsu appeared.

Karin rushed ahead. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cringed. _Never mind the chakra Houdini, I'd rather die…_ "They followed us from the city…"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and Sakura was filled with joy. His clear distaste for the other redhead was hilarious.

"How many?"

Karin was the only one who could see that far. "There are at least two teams. Possibly a third standing by."

"Damn it…" Sakura muttered.

There was one squad approaching on their right. And the other directly behind.

Sakura stepped branch to branch then planted her feet on an opposing trunk. She pushed off, rocketing at the team behind them. She calculated their speed and, while throwing smoke bombs into their faces, arced her fall with her fist pulled back. She collided with the ground and a ripple of earth uprooted the trees around her.

She leapt up into the chaos and pulled out a pair of kunai. The kunoichi saw one figure burst out of the cloud to run right into her weapon. His throat spewed onto her and her menacing eyes turned to the next victim to emerge. He didn't look as startled as he began making hand seals.

Sakura started to pull out her senbon again when a shadow flew overtop of her and sliced a man to ribbons with a black sword. Then he used the hilt of it to hit him in the stomach. The man collapsed out of pain but was, again, left alive. Her eyes widened as the shadow kicked another charging man in the chin right at her.

She spun over the surprised man and sliced the back of his neck, mimicking what Sasuke had done with the Chidori but killing him. It was an instant death, not a moment of pain.

The raven haired man smirked in her direction as the body hit the forest floor.

The smoke cleared and Sakura saw a man pinned by the trees. Both his legs were trapped along with one of his arms. Over two thirds of his body was smashed. The man was coughing blood and his hand gripped the bark trying to ward off the pain.

Sasuke landed beside him and Sakura turned away.

The standing shinobi spoke in a murmur to the man. After a moment the wounded one nodded and Sasuke took two fingers to swiftly kill him with a jolt of the Chidori. The man sighed and his body sagged between the fallen trees.

Sasuke suddenly turned toward her. The Sharingan glared at her.

Fear rushed in Sakura's veins for a moment before she realized that there was a small chakra behind her.

She jumped out of the way, right into Sasuke, and a great explosion sent them flying into the trees.

They hit like a meteorite in to the ground.

…

Suigetsu and Karin froze at the sound of an explosion. Suigetsu sliced through the last of the squad and looked behind them.

They ran towards the noise as the back up squad surrounded two nin on the ground.

…

Sakura stirred. She began to sit up; there was something warm and breathing under her.

"Akane, you're heavy."

Sakura snapped her head up to see onyx eyes open and staring at her. She has lying on top of Sasuke.

"Oh!" Sakura hopped up blushing lightly when Sasuke saw a rain on shuriken about to barrage her from behind.

Sasuke grabbed her hand, pulling Sakura back into him as a gray object shot out of his body, blocking the attack.

The kunoichi looked up at a giant form protecting her. The gray hand stretched its fingers before receding into its host. Briefly Sasuke watched her amazed face as it drifted to his. He felt their enemies' chakra change above them and sprung into action.

He put his fingers to his lips. "_Katon: Goukakuu no justu!_" A wall of fire went up all around them. The ball of crackling flames expanded, enveloping the four shinobi.

The wood of the trees sizzled and Sakura saw two men fall to the ground. The third was using some sort of jutsu to evade the attack. Sakura stood and Sasuke cut off the flames. Sakura leapt into the gold and red light and threw senbon at the guarded man.

Before she hit the branch on the same level as the Rain nin she saw that another shadow was coming at her and just before she threw an explosive tag at him Suigetsu exposed himself.

He sliced down the shoulder of the dead man and noticed that three needles were coming out of his neck. Sakura stuck out her tongue.

"You ruin my fun."

Sakura grinned as she leapt after the other two. "I know." The last shinobi were lying unconscious on either side of Sasuke. He looked to his team.

"Move out."

They disappeared into the falling rain.

…

Hours passed while traveling. Sasuke and Sakura didn't exchange as many questions as before and she guessed that it was because the other two were back.

She tried not to bother him but her curiosity got the best of her.

Sakura ran to catch up to him. "Why is it raining here?"

Sasuke looked to the thick, dark clouds. "It never snows close to Ame. It only rains. I can sense chakra in the rain. Someone is monitoring the shapes in the water within Ame." Sakura understood. That's why those teams knew where they were before being able to really sense them.

Sakura slowed down, getting her distance from him again.

Karin watched the kunoichi from behind.

Hidaka Akane was becoming a problem. Because of this little mission Sasuke had presented she was spending less and less alone time with the Uchiha.

What was it about this girl that made her stand out? He had become so tolerant of her after only a few weeks of staying together. Karin was now set on destroying that woman from the _inside_ out.

…

Night was not bright. The moon was beginning to wane but it couldn't be seen because of the rain clouds.

Sasuke had left hours ago and wouldn't be back for a while. Karin was awake for her turn to keep watch and both Sakura and Suigetsu were sleeping.

Sasuke had told them that the weapons Akane had in her pack were traceable if she ran off and Sasuke would be the first to know. The woman remained unbound.

She looked at Akane intently. _Sasuke never let me explore her mind… I wonder why?_ She crossed her legs as she sat high in a tree, looking down at the sleeping kunoichi.

_I bet I could find out what she knows of Uzumaki Naruto. But I have to be careful…_ She snickered. _I wouldn't want to damage her pretty little head._

Karin jumped down from the tree and walked over toward Sakura. The woman's black hair glistened in the light sneaking though the black clouds. Karin placed her hands on both sides of her head and took a deep breath.

_Here we go._

There were flickers.

There was death, there was carnage all around.

A mask of white, speckled with blood.

Ribbons, sequences of memory.

There was a body and a woman over it with pink hair. She poured her chakra into the body but it was far gone. There was blood everywhere. The wheels of the cart which the person was on dragged a trail of red behind it. The woman with rosette hair had _green eyes_. Her hands lost the healing light around them and they dropped to her side.

Another flicker.

The same woman was sitting, curled up on a bed. There were tears streaming down her face.

_"Why…" _She wept. _"Why couldn't I save them…"_

There was someone else. It was a woman with blond hair that was tied into two pigtails and fell over her shoulders. Her hand rested on the crying woman's head.

_"There was nothing you could have done. You are a shinobi, Sakura. You need to accept the sacrifices that you have to make."_

Sacrifices?

_Sacrifices…_

Karin felt a jolt. Sakura was waking up. She had to hurry.

Another flicker.

Three shinobi in black sat around the campfire. They were laughing together. There was a man with a senbon hanging out his mouth. A woman sat next to him with long brown hair and bangs. She was silent but had a smile on her features.

_"Don't be stupid."_ The brunette punched him in the arm.

_"Aww, you know it's true!"_ The man's smile was large and warm.

Across the fire was a woman with black hair that reached her shoulders. She was giggling at their fight. Her eyes went from one to the other. _They were green._

The mind was fighting back, stronger now. Karin dug deeper. Just a little more. She could find what she was looking for if she only held on a little longer.

Another flicker.

The black haired woman and brunette sat in a bathroom. One was standing, the other sat on the edge of the tub, blushing happily. The one standing was cutting her hair. The one sitting seemed so much younger. Like a child in the eyes of her older sister. Her admiration for her was clear.

Another flicker.

Death. Pain. _Fire…_ The brunette was wrapped in flames. The other watched her fall like a star to the earth.

There was a clear struggle in Sakura's mind. Karin was loosing control.

There was screaming in the distance. Sakura was screaming from the outside.

Flicker.

_"Do you have to go?" _The pink haired woman stood before she a blond man. It looked a few years back.

_"I need to stay with Jiraiya for a while. I haven't learned everything I need to know yet…"_ He looked solemn. But the woman's face still had a smile on it. He saw it and grinned a little. _"You can always visit."_

The redhead's smile widened. _"Yeah, right."_

Naruto chuckled. _"I'll be home before you know it. Then we'll find Sasuke." _

The woman put a hand on her hip. _"You idiot. I'm not going to wait for you."_ She gave him a playful look. _"Sasuke will be back when you get here. What else will I do with all this spare time on my hands?"_

He saw a depressed look on her face and laughed to brighten her face. _"It's alright. I'm sure Tsunade'll swamp you with so many missions you won't have time to miss me."_ He reached up to touch her shoulder. _"You're strong, Sakura. Sometimes you forget just how much. Kick some Oto ass while I'm gone."_

A tear slid down her cheek. _"Thank you… Naruto."_

Flicker.

A younger version of the blond stood before her. _"It's okay. I'll bring Sasuke back for sure." _He pulled out a thumbs-up. _"It's a promise of a life time!"_

The screaming was getting louder.

The last flash only lasted a moment.

A dark boy stood behind the pink haired girl.

Two words slipped out of him quietly.

_"Thank you."_

"Akane."

Sakura thrashed inside her mind. She thrashed outside as well. Karin was holding on. If she didn't release the jutsu herself she would loose all that she'd seen.

Sakura's face was wrecked with sadness and pain. Her eyes were glossed over. Karin sat with her eyes firmly shut.

"K-…" She was too wound in Sakura's mind to form words. "K-Ka…"

"Kai!"

Sakura's body physically jerked and Karin fell to the side. She was _shoved_ to the side.

Strong, cold hands grasper her forearms, trying to steady her.

She looked into crimson with her wet jade eyes.

"Sasuke…"

Out of exhaustion she collapsed.

* * *

That was really long… 6,158 words…

Ame is the main village of Rain. It's like Fire Country's Konoha if you didn't already know that.

Genma isn't dead! Hehe… Are you exited yet? What _will_ Kakashi do…

Please notice things and tell me little stuff that clicks for you. It will make my day. If you are completely lost just send me a message… seriously.

Remember how much time has passed between them. It'll make your life easier later.

Next chapter will also take forever to write so don't expect too much from me any time soon!

Next Chapter – Hidden Strings

IAmNotANut


	8. Hidden Strings

Breanna: Thank you again for your suggestions! However, I am sorry to say that you will be the death of me…You already _wounded_ me with your accurate forecasting of the aspects of this story.

I'm interested in everyone's reaction to the chapter. If it is badly written feel free to tell me and I will attempt to amend myself.

Playlist: So Cold (Breaking Benjamin), and Suffocate (Cold).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Hidden Strings

* * *

Why… why was there always such an aching in her head? It seemed that she was constantly being troubled with a pulsation in her temples that woke her.

Sakura sat up. Holding her forehead in a clammy hand. The woman was wrapped in her cloak but could tell she hadn't done it herself. She had no memory of being moved in her dreamless sleep.

Or her recent state of unconsciousness, as it was. The kunoichi did remember what had occurred the night before.

There was a jolt of pain in her, like someone was clawing her mind from the inside. When she awoke she saw flashes of the past forced upon her. Suddenly she recalled that when she opened her eyes, Karin had been sitting before and there was an ear shattering scream. Her own cries had awoken her and she had tried to push out the woman before her. Sakura could still feel Karin's nails digging into her scalp. There was a layer of sweat on Karin's face and her eyes were shut tight. There were voices far from her thoughts and Karin was shoved out of the way without a second thought. Next there were cold hands grabbing her forearms, shaking her, and the screams stopped. She remembered swirling red eyes turning to obsidian.

A young man had stared her in the face. She wanted to see worry. She wanted to see concern on his features. But she would not get that satisfaction. His eyes only smoldered into her fading sea foam green ones, emotions unclear, and she remembered it going dark.

Sakura had such a headache.

Her eyes slowly looked around.

It was snowing again which meant that they had passed out of Ame's line of sight. Even so, she could tell that two of the members of Hebi were absent.

She turned and met with tired eyes an alert Sasuke staring at her intently. Sakura waited for him to do something and fond herself wanting to say "good morning" in a raggedy voice.

The shinobi was sitting on a tall stump with a thin branch growing off of it. The tree had tried to grow again before winter's chill but it was clear that the stump was dead.

His arm rested on his bent knee while the other leg dangled freely. He sat on the heel of his foot, and his palm was at his chin. Though this position looked bored and uninterested, his face said something entirely different.

Sasuke's eyes simmered with anger and frustration. This was going to get ugly, fast.

"You're not Hidaka Akane."

Sakura froze and her eyes widened. _Karin must have told him. He knows who I am…_ Her muscles were taunt."W-what…?" Out of fear and anticipation the woman's heart raced.

"I _killed_ Hidaka Akane."

Sakura clenched her fists. _He knows… But I don't care anymore… _She felt tears swelling in her eyes. "Yes…" She snarled under a gasping breath. "You killed Hidaka Akane… You killed a kindhearted woman. You killed my teammate…" She stood, glaring up at Sasuke. His shadow fell onto her and all she could see were those furious eyes. But he wasn't one tenth as pissed off as she was. "You killed my friend! You killed a woman who was like my own sister! And _you_," She pointed accusingly at the dark man. "You erased from this earth a devoted shinobi of Konoha!" She spat venomously.

He pulled in his hanging leg and stood. His outline was all that Sakura could see in the high sun. "She was not a Konoha shinobi."

* * *

Tsunade was sleeping in her office. A thin line of drool eased out the corner of her mouth and the imprint from papers on which her cheek laid against was almost readable, had it not been backward.

Last night was booked. She had been so preoccupied with shirking her duties that she fell asleep at her desk.

A voice came though the door from outside in the hall. "Shizune, this is an urgent message to the Hokage. It was sent by Shiranui Genma from the border city."

Shizune perked at the name. Hadn't he been tracking Uchiha Sasuke?

The woman took the scroll from the messenger and opened the door into her boss's work place. The sight that awaited her was not what she had expected.

Shizune ran to the woman's desk and slammer her hand onto it. "_Tsunade were you asleep!?_"

The blonde shot up and looked at her groggily. "Oh… Ohayo, Shizune-chan."

"This is an urgent message to you from Genma."

Genma's name got her attention. "It must be about Sasuke." She snatched it from her assistant and unrolled it.

The paper dropped from her hands before she finished.

Shizune looked onto Tsunade's color drained face. "What? What is it? Did something happen?"

"Hidaka Akane is dead and…" Tsunade kept her eyes strictly to the paper. "Haruno Sakura is missing in action." Her assistant's shoulders dropped, she was limp on her feet. "Sakura stayed behind to give Genma a chance to run…"

"Run from what?" Shizune asked breathlessly.

"Uchiha Sasuke…"

Shizune was silent.

"He knew he was being tracked. He set a trap for them and…" Tsunade looked at the paper. "Genma barely got out alive. Sasuke came looking for him after Sakura…" Tsunade stopped short. He didn't say it. He didn't say that Sakura was dead. There was no conformation that she had been killed by Sasuke. She moved on. "Genma was found late that night on the hotel's doorstep. Someone from town must have seen him, and Uchiha, not wanting to attract the public eye, disappeared. Genma requests a team of shinobi to retrieve the body of Akane." She choked on the words. She refused to believe that Sakura was dead. She pleaded with her self, pleading for it not to be so. Sakura _couldn't_ be dead.

Uchiha Sasuke was going to pay dearly if she was.

"Who will you send?"  
"Kakashi is in the field right now. He's closest. Send a message telling him what's happened." Tsunade rubbed her temples, hiding her face behind her bangs. Shizune reached for the woman to comfort her but the blond held up her hand, stopping her. "You have something to do, Shizune."

The black haired woman backed away reluctantly and, before she left the room, gave Tsunade one last, reassuring glance.

Tsunade's head was not up to see it.

As the door clicked shut, Tsunade opened a filing cabinet and fingered through names. She pulled out one, setting it down. Then she dug through the files again for a second one. Only a few names back she found Haruno Sakura's file.

She opened it and looked through. There were no bad marks on her report and she had served Konoha well. Tsunade crumpled the edge of her paper. What had Sakura done to deserve such a fate? She put down the file. The first manila folder took away her attention. She stared at it hesitantly.

Hidaka Akane…

She opened the file and read:

'Hidaka Akane was discovered by Jiraiya while searching for Orochimaru. She was stationed at one of the many hideouts Orochimaru as a spy and assassin for him.

Hidaka turned herself in to Konoha and confessed her crimes, vowing to start a new life. She spent two years in prison, one year on restricted parole, and three months of supervised missions. After this time Hidaka's record was kept confidential and she was placed into the ANBU to serve for Fire Country.

Suffered from nightmares and would become temporarily unstable mentally under great stress. Paranoia and violent urges also occurred around children.

Hidaka remained under observation until four years later when the symptoms finally ceased.'

Tsunade didn't read over the confession. She had soiled the memory of the kunoichi enough.

The woman stood. Taking the file in her hands and threw it in her metal trashcan. No one would see it again.

She pulled out a small box from her drawer took out a short and thin piece of wood. She scratched it across the table and it lit.

Tsunade threw the match into her trashcan and watched the papers burn.

No one would ever know Hidaka Akane. No one could ever find out what this woman had done against all maternal instinct a woman possesses. No one would ever know about her ultimate sacrifice for a country not of her own because, after all, Hidaka Akane didn't technically exist.

* * *

"Hidaka Akane was a servant of Orochimaru. While staying in one of his hideouts I watched her leave for weeks on end. When she came back she had with her numbers of children. Some bound and others came of their own free will. Those children all had a Kekkkei Genkai." Sakura felt a chill run over her like cold water. "These children were to be experimented on by Orochimaru's scientists. While others were used as test tubes some were simply killed because they were of no use. Hidaka Akane was the one responsible for the deaths of stolen children. I was under no obligation to leave someone like that alive."

Her mind couldn't wrap her mind around it. Akane… _Akane_. The woman she had spent a month with. The woman she had come to see as a sister. She had stolen _children_… Sakura couldn't believe it.

Sasuke hopped down. He strode up to Sakura, staring her in the face. His eyes were so infuriated. She felt like she should run from him. Sakura wanted to flee from those piercing, critical eyes that looked into her very soul.

His voice was packed full of emotions she couldn't decipher. "Now tell me. Who are you."

Sakura was stunned. With a quiet and strained voice, she spoke. "Why ask questions you already know the answer to?"

Sasuke looked at her, equally stunned. There were unreadable emotions in his eyes but he remained with his mouth tightly closed. He had missed something. That realization was clear on his face.

"Sasuke-kun!" A voice came from the distance and he recomposed himself.

Sasuke turned his back to her and walked away. "The jutsu was broken. Karin doesn't remember anything she saw."

Sakura's skin prickled.

She had just destroyed any opportunity she had of keeping her identity a secret.

Karin skipped out of the shadows and to Sasuke's side, who had gained some distance from Sakura. "Sorry it took so long, Sasuke-kun." Karin felt him start to get agitated. He had an especially short fuse today. "Suigetsu will meet us on the way. He found something, but he sent me ahead so we could get going now."

Sasuke nodded curtly and looked at Sakura. She wobbled to her feet and stepped away from the tree, closer to Karin than Sasuke.

The redhead looked from Sakura to Sasuke curiously. It pleased her somewhat that they were on such bad terms with each other.

They were soon moving though the high sunlight. The weather was overcast. The sun was not visible, yet light could escape the dense folds of the sky and send a patch of sun onto the earth. Very rarely, when thicker clumps of clouds flew overhead, rain pitter-pattered on the leaves of the forest.

Karin ran between the shinobi. Sasuke was staring off into the distance, probably searching for Suigetsu. Sakura was looking anywhere but at the Uchiha. Karin scanned the area for a sign of Suigetsu while still greatly enjoying the stiffness the two had towards one another.

She looked back at the black haired woman. Last night was all a blur. Her head hurt even when she _tried_ to remember what had been in Akane's thoughts. The memories had been locked away by the jutsu's forced exit. That made her a tiny bit mad at Sasuke. He had just pushed her aside to help that little bitch for who knows what reason.

She had to focus. Karin had caused Sasuke enough trouble already, considering it was her fault those Rain nin had followed them yesterday…

It was a good twenty minutes, just when she was beginning to doubt Suigetsu, when he showed up on her radar. "He's coming up on the right."

Sasuke looked that way and held back, moving to the rear of their formation. Suigetsu came out of the trees and converged with him.

"What about Uzumaki Naruto."

It was strange to hear Sasuke call Naruto by his full name instead of just 'dobe'.

Suigetsu shook his head. "I couldn't get anything on the Jinchuuriki but…" The two men slowed even more, leaving Sakura and Karin close to out of hearing range.

Karin tried to get closer to listen in.

Sakura didn't need to get into earshot. She heard Suigetsu loud and clear. His words made her blood run cold and she looked back at Sasuke with large jade eyes.

Suigetsu had whispered swiftly into Sasuke's ear: "They're already in Earth Country. The Akatsuki are waiting in the mountains."

Sakura couldn't speak. She was in shock, it seemed, and she couldn't stop shaking. The kunoichi began to slow down when she felt hands on her back, pushing her forward.

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Suigetsu. His eyes were cold for once. They were about to cross the border of Earth…

Earth Country…

Where Naruto was… where the Akatsuki were _waiting_. It was obvious to Team Hebi that she had heard, yet they didn't care to explain!?

She knew, though. She knew what Sasuke was going to do. How could she have been so blind!? Sasuke was going to use Naruto as bait for Itachi. It was all clear. He didn't need to catch Naruto. He just needed to be there when the Akatsuki took him down. It would bring his brother out of hiding…

_Naruto…_Sakura felt churning in her stomach. _Naruto, no…_She was going to be sick.

Sakura fell to the ground before Suigetsu could do anything. Only two landed with her as she rushed to regurgitate whatever had been in her stomach. Karin looked on with apathy.

_Showing such weakness in front of Sasuke…_

Sasuke was the one that remained in the trees. He looked on from above as Sakura wiped her mouth and rolled onto her back, away from the puddle of vomit.

_Naruto… I have to tell… someone. I have to see Tsunade. I have to stop Naruto… Sasuke… Sasuke!_

Sakura gripped the frozen grass with her gloved hands. "Sasuke… You are…" Terrible, deplorable, evil? Words wouldn't form, and suddenly a memory of another time came into her. "You make me sick."

Sasuke wanted to retort back with 'I can see that.' but he refrained. Instead the shinobi dropped from the branch and walked up to her.

"I…" Sakura's once clear eyes couldn't focus. "I hate you!"

"Good."

She coughed. Her throat was raw. "H-how could you?"

Sasuke stood over Sakura as she curled up with her head between her knees, trying to relive the remaining sickness. Her upchuck was visible around the tree she leaned against. "Where is Uzumaki Naruto."

"I hate you…" Her voice cracked. Enmity was rising in her.

"To return to Konoha I have to kill my brother."

"I hate you."

"To kill my brother I need Uzumaki Naruto."

Her anger was at the boiling point. "I hate you!" She rose to her feet. Sasuke took a passive step back. Even now she couldn't intimidate him. Sakura's fists clenched and unclenched. "How…" She shook her head. Finally, the tears she had been trying so hard not to release over all of those weeks rolled off her flushed cheeks. Loathing for Sasuke, shame over herself, pain from all that had passed, worry about Naruto, love for her teams… old and new… it overflowed. "How… how could you sell out your best friend!?" She drew back.

A slap resounded in the woods.

* * *

The river was frozen.

At least the top of it was.

Underneath, Naruto could see the currents moving very quickly. The ice was very thin and the blond knew that if he were to cross and get to the other side alive he'd have to sprint. He thought deeper. _If I force enough chakra into my feet it'll be like I'm not even there…_ So he took a moment before focusing his energy. His blue eyes analyzed every step ahead of time. Then, when he heard birds take off behind him, Naruto pushed off with a speed otherwise unattainable over a long distance.

Ice cracked beneath him. It grew louder and louder as he neared the center of the river. Then his breath caught. There, in the middle of the river was something he was unable to see from the edge, was a gaping line of iceless current where the water was unable to freeze.

Naruto acted quickly, without slowing or loosing focus on his feet. He counted his steps, making them longer and broader.

_One, two, three!_ He jumped.

In the air he looked down at the ice behind him. It was starting to break and white shards of glass –as it appeared from this height– spiked out of the water.

Naruto was falling too fast, he realized, and he threw his hands together making a hand seal. The shinobi spoke far to quickly for anyone's comprehension and three clones appeared around him just when he was feet from the ice. One was below him. The other two grabbed his arms to slow him down. He took in the impact on his feet with his clone and hopped gently off as the ice shattered under them both. Naruto's fall was now shallow and long which allowed him to work up the chakra in his feet again in the air.

Naruto landed, His feet threatened to completely destroy the floor but he moved too quickly and behind him a wave of ice crackled. It followed every movement a second too late to trip him up. Soon the ice thickened as he neared the edge and slowed down. Naruto practically walked off the water onto the shore. His grin was exceptionally larger and he beamed with pride. It was not an easy job running across a half frozen river.

The jinchuuriki was less than a week away from reaching the border of Earth country and things weren't going to smoothen out for him.

Thankfully Tsunade wasn't there to dissuade him. She would have never advised him to go though with his plan. Her idea of a safe return home is to meet escorts half way and practically be _carried_ home. Naruto would have been fine with that idea if it didn't endanger the squad so much. There were times when Tsunade's swelled head kept her from thinking clearly even when it was obvious to everyone else that a _group _of shinobi would be easier to track down than just _one_.

With the thoughts of danger still to come, Naruto decided he should get a good nights rest before he set out in the morning, hopefully to get a lot of ground covered. Just because he wasn't in Earth yet didn't mean that there weren't any scouts or patrol nin all around the border. The day was getting darker and colder by the minute. So the blond set up the campsite and curled up into a ball under his sleeping bag next to the fire.

…

_Naruto was standing before a tall dark cage. The colors were out of place, his face appeared red in some unseen light and the cage's bars were almost green. The floor was filling with a boiling red fluid but the shinobi didn't float. He stayed underneath, his feet plastered to the floor._

_"Kill…" A dark voice echoed through the bars. "…kill…" Naruto felt the voice's rage reverberate through him. "…Yamata no Orochi." He tried to look closer into the cage but an outside voice warned him not to tread in dark waters._

_But Naruto was already under, right? Why not take a peek._

_"Hachibi…" The voice was no longer a whisper._

_Naruto froze. The fury in the words startled him. It was an ancient feeling. One carved deeply into the skin._

_"Yamata no Orochi… The kusanagi… __Kusanagi no Tsurugi__ … Hachibi. Yamata no Orochi, Yamata no Orochi, Yamata no Orochi," He wanted to shout back at the voice that drilled into his psyche. "Yama__ta no Orochi! KILL, KILL, KILL! The Hachibi! Yamata no Orochi, Yamata no Orochi, Yamata no Orochi, Yamata no-"_

_It was maddening._

_"-No Orochi, Yamata no Orochi, Yamata no Orochi, Yamata no Orochi!!" Suddenly a pair of crimson eyes __appeared before him. There was fire under the red iris and it enticed the Jinchuuriki's anger. He condoled with the monster inside the cage. He felt his agitation, his infuriation._

_The Jinchuuriki's eyes started to change color and he found himself shouting along with the demon._

_"Kill Yamata no Orochi!" he growled and the bars of the prison shook._

_The eyes started to fade. "Find the __Kusanagi no Tsurugi…__"_

…

There was fire. It burned his flesh.

Naruto awoke; his body was hot and felt like he was blistering all over. He looked at his hands. They were starting to turn blood red, almost black. His muscles suddenly snapped and a spasm distorted his mind-body connection. He fought for control of himself and his arms twisted closely to him when the Jinchuuriki tried to withhold them. Naruto threw himself to the side, out from his campsite and into a tree. Pain was coursing through like a poison and in a painful cry he felt his nerves sizzle, his thoughts became irrational and incoherent. He ran into the trunk continuously in an attempt to send a jolt of sense into him. But Naruto's head was pulsing, not from the impingement, and he collapsed in exhaustion onto the ground.

Or so he thought.

His body moved faster then ever before. He flew in the blackened sky. But Naruto felt like he was still on the ground half a mile back.

The snarling rejoined him in his half conscious state. _"Yamata no Orochi."_

_Stop! _He protested.

_"Yamata no Orochi." _The voice was defiant.

His bloody fists clenched and his wild eyes shut. With all the power in his sane mind he pushed out the hateful animalistic call.

_NO!!_

* * *

This one is really short compared to what I just pulled off last chapter. But there was a lot to write in this one. BWAHAHA! :3

Poor Naruto. He doesn't stand a chance! Who saw this coming? I bet there were a few of you. You didn't think Sasuke just wanted to see Naruto for a friendly reunion, did you?

Some things I regret about my previous writing: I love Shizune's character. I just wanted to make a person you hated in FCB that wasn't actually _evil_. Kankurou suffered the same fate.

Some things I am going to mend: I don't hate Karin. She's just a Sasuke obsessed woman that can't leave him alone. Anyone else out there think how far you would go to get a piece of Sasuke can understand that right? I'm going to write Karin less harshly from now on. (Even though she _is_ really annoying :3)

(I expect at least 45 reviews before my next update! 50 would make me ecstatic…Oh! Dream big, Nut, dream big!)

Next Chapter – TBA

(This is where my outlines cease to exist… Ahaha… I have to get to prewriting once more…)

IAmNotANut


	9. Run

Playlist: Sleep (My Chemical Romance), and Hear Me Now (Framing Hanley).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Run

* * *

Naruto could see the cage bars. He was on the inside looking out.

The Kyuubi's clawed hands were curled around him the ball of pure white energy that was around Naruto where he dangled in air.

Inside this black Naruto could fell waves of cold run over him. They came by ripples made in air. These glowing waves were pulses of memory that hit him, taking him into the Kyuubi's past.

He saw a shrine. It was an innocent, calm shrine with burgundy wood and gold broidering. There were people standing all around, giving tribute and praying to it for protection. The people almost worshiped it.

Naruto was hit with another wave. The point of view was altered and Naruto looked out from the shrine at the people. He looked through the crowds and when his eyes passed over a certain man his vision blur red. The one man in a cloak.

His face couldn't be seen due to his hood and the long shadow cast by the sun. His aura was large, much larger than the people around him, and it was dark. He took a step forward and to Naruto's surprise, a vine crawled out from under the cloak. It crept along the coble stone courtyard and branched, spreading like water. Naruto's eyes flashed when another wave hit and he saw the vines speed up. They wrapped around the legs of all the praying people. Many fell to the ground in agony.

_Why can't you move? Why can't you _do_ something!?_ Naruto urged the Kyuubi. Cut those vines, free these people.

But the Kyuubi _couldn't _move. He was forced to watch.

All the people were dead. Only the man was left alive.

The pulses pounded Naruto's back and distorted the images. Naruto struggled against them.

_What is he!? What happens!?_ Naruto's eyes were about to be forced away when he saw something under the man's hood.

There was a toothed smile and bright red eyes. The pupils were slits, just like a snake's.

He was pulled back into the black of Kyuubi's cage.

The pulses were growing too strong to resist and Naruto was again thrown into another memory.

The battlefield he found himself on was undistinguishable. Had this been a forest? Or perhaps a mountain range…? The ground was singed, some of it still burning. There were deep gashes in the earth matching giant claws. The dead were everywhere. Their eyes were red with thin lines of black. All of them, bodies decayed. But the fight seemed so young? How long had they been dead?

Suddenly a cackle shook the land. Naruto's eyes turned to its source.

Before him was a beast so large that it could cover mountains. Tails whipped behind it, overturning the surface and bringing deep violet waves of energy from below.

There were eight. Eight tails whirled in the air but were nothing compared to the eight fanged faces that stared at him with deep red eyes.

It was the Hachibi, a snake, a wingless dragon, a monster.

It hissed another laugh and stared Naruto in the muzzle. Red fur bristled. Claws dug into the earth, scaring it even more.

The Kyuubi's battle cry burst Naruto's ears as he charged.

The snake pulled back one of its monstrous head and a bulge in his throat caught the jinchuuriki's attention.

It appeared as a ripe opportunity to strike the Hachibi's jugular but smelt strongly of bad news.

It was the latter.

With a hacking sound, a giant sword, enveloped in purple, fiery chakra, shot out of its mouth.

The Hachibi caught the sword and swung it in the air.

The heads shouted in unison. "_I am the King of Bijuu!"_ It slashed at its enemy.

The Kyuubi caught the strike in his claws and threw the demon to the side.

With a deep breath in the demon fox gathered chakra in the pit of it's stomach. The Kyuubi expanded and his jaws began to glow. Then it shot out a small ball of compressed energy.

The ball impacted the ground just before the other Bijuu and it was launched by the blast that rocked the earth.

The snake had blocked the bulk of the attack with the sword and it's cackle rung out in the open air.

_"You can't touch me!"_

The Kyuubi charged and, without stopping, snarled back at the Hachibi. _"I can't touch you, ne!?" _Balls of fire sprouted off of the red fur and bombarded the snake in crossfire.

In his race toward his enemy the Kyuubi inhaled again and a chakra sea gathered inside him for the last and strongest strike.

The flaming balls hit, the snake kept them at bay with the chakra coated sword.

The Kyuubi slammed into the snake as the sword was raised and grabbed hold of two heads. The others bit onto the clawed demon, trying to wrap around him. The Kyuubi was getting bigger, his mouth exerting a beam of light, the energy was about to explode out of him. He placed his face right next to the demon and opened his mouth.

White chakra shot out and both disappeared in a mushroom cloud of dust. A great crack pierced the jinchuuriki's ears.

Naruto watched as the smoke cleared and was shocked to see both were alive. But the snake was terribly wounded, bleeding from everywhere. Its sword was standing in the ground. There was a fractured hole in it. The demon must have pulled the sword in the way before the Kyuubi fired.

Naruto watched as the snake demon chuckled. The sound shook the earth with a low rumble. The Kyuubi looked on as the snake's image began to dissipate before him.

Naruto roared at the memory as the defeated enemy escaped with his life in a fog of purple chakra.

The ripple of recollection passed and Naruto was left in darkness.

_"Yamata no Orochi…"_

…

Naruto's black skin shivered as the images disappeared. He was crouching on a rocky ledge, his clawed hands gripped and the stone groaned, wanting to rift.

The jinchuuriki looked around in the sunless sky. How long he had been out of control? Had it only been a few minutes? Or was it days instead? The last memory he had was of a night sky like this, sleeping on the ground when that cursed dream crept onto him.

Night was hiding him now.

But it wasn't hiding him well enough. There were shinobi headed his way.

Their fast heart beats and slowing movements revealed that they had been following him for a while. These nin must have found him crossing the border into Earth, that was the only explanation there was.

He crawled on all fours and felt the stretching hand of Kyuubi over him. He was loosing his head again.

The kusanagi… It was still unclear to him what it was but he could be sure that if the Kyuubi trapped him inside the gates again he would find out. He knew that that snake Kyuubi had been fighting had to be Yamata no Orochi and the Kusanagi no Tsurugi was its weapon.

The Kyuubi took a step forward on the ledge and sniffed in the air.

Someone with the Hachibi's dark energy was coming closer to the border of Earth.

Naruto's own eyes became sightless and the Kyuubi took over. It bounded into the mountains. The miniature fox demon danced across the mountainsides and soon the Hachibi's chakra was clear.

It was a human.

Naruto's consciousness broke out from Kyuubi's grasp, even if it was only for a moment.

It was Sasuke.

* * *

Kakashi knelt at the base of a thick tree. His hand held his head in it, covering his face and allowing his silver hair to fall into his face. In the other hand was a scroll.

His eyes were tightly shut in thought and dither. _Get a hold of yourself, Kakashi…_ He gripped the paper. His anger was seeping out.

Kakashi's body began to shake.

"We're moving out." He muttered through tight lips.

The shinobi lifted his head and looked up to his team. Kiba was staring down at his resting K-9 partner. Akamaru's paws were crossed in front of him and his large white head rested there. Hinata was not too far from him, looking disrupt. She held her hands in front of her, gripping her fists and staring right at Kakashi with her large lavender eyes. They held some combination of sympathy and determination.

The last two of his team were standing some distance away, talking.

There was one man, twiddling with a kunai. "Shino and Neji won't take long to find them. But, that's not what I'm worried about." Shikamaru was leaning against the trunk of a tree. "I have a feeling that Sakura isn't dead yet."

The other man, Chouji, looked grimly at his teammate. "I don't know, Shikamaru… I don't think Oto nin would spare anybody. They're not made like that."

"It just seems to perfect." The man continued. "Why would Hebi face Genma's team head on? What would they have to gain from it?" His gaze went up into the trees.

A third party spoke from behind. "What are you thinking, Shik." Kakashi approached, holding onto a low branch and slipping under it into view. His arm remained up as if to hold him steady.

"I don't think Sakura is dead yet. The ends don't match up, as I see it. If they were trying to loose a couple of tracking nin, why didn't they just bolt when Sakura's team was in the border city? The only explanation I can figure is that Team Hebi needs them. That or Sasuke has a soft spot for Konoha because no one _from_ Konoha was killed."

Kakashi was shocked by his blind remark. "You're forgetting Hidaka Akane. She was dead before Genma escaped."

Shik shook his head. "That's not entirely true. I peeked at her file when I was working inside the ANBU before all of this started." He pushed off the tree and took a lax stance. "She has quite a record in _Rice_ Country."

Kakashi stiffened. "Did she plan this with Sasuke?"

"No. Even if her personal anecdote says differently, it wouldn't be in her true character to do something like that. That woman had a lot of troubles in her life. Her history isn't pretty but she came completely clean after ANBU jogged her brain for a few months." He shook his head. "It was sick, what they did to her. She definitely wasn't treated well, coming from Oto." He scuffed his shoe in the snow. "Then again, she deserved it for all of the things she did. If I were Sasuke I wouldn't let an opportunity to kill someone like that pass."

Chouji cut in. "How do you know he was informed about her past?"

"I don't. I'm guessing."

Kakashi turned away and started to walk. "We're leaving." Shik and Chou nodded.

Kakashi had to think on this. _Had_ Sasuke known who Akane was? But he couldn't take this talk. He was close to shutting up Shikamaru if the nin hadn't stopped on his own. There was _no way_ Sasuke would be so picky about who he killed.

_Sakura…_ He felt like another piece of him was lost. He barely had anything left. Sakura, Naruto, and… Sasuke.

If she was dead, Sasuke was going to pay.

"Who's at the border of Rain? That's where Genma said Akane would be." Kiba and Akamaru were in the front. Their sense of smell would be more useful that way.

"If anyone is there, Ino will give them medical attention. Then Kurenai will send news. They should be reaching the site in a few days so it won't take. Neji and Shino are there too. If there's trouble…" Shik stopped. The look in his eyes beseeched the enemies in Rain not to attack Kurenai and Ino. It was out of his hands what happened there. "Hopefully they will be enough to retrieve who ever is still there."

"If they're still alive." Kakashi spat. He regretted it as soon as it slipped out of his mouth. Then he sighed and rubbed his temples. He couldn't think about what was at hand at this moment. He wasn't in any rational state of mind and if he pushed his anger any closer to the edge he would be running after Sasuke on his own. "What are you doing, Shik? You're letting Kurenai out of Konoha with a kid waiting for her back home?"

Shikamaru chuckled uncomfortably. Then looked away. He couldn't think about what he would do if anything happened to his sensei's lover.

Hinata spoke for him. "K-Kurenai-sensei wanted to help. She cares a-about Sakura too…"

Kiba laughed. "Yeah, I'm sure if Kurenai didn't go Tsunade-sama was going to track Sakura down herself." Akamaru barked in a low pitch, agreeing with the notion.

"Tsunade-sama, Shizune-dono…" Chouji listed on his fingers. "Half the village would be after Sakura if they could come!" The large man laughed a little too.

The mood was becoming much lighter.

"Sakura won't know what to do with so many people coming to save her…" Kiba continued. They were feeding off each other. One could assume it was for support.

Kakashi knew, however, how much it hurt to hope like this.

He understood how they were digging their own pit of fruitless dreams. He knew how hard it was to crawl out when their fantasies fell through. Kakashi's eyebrows met and his eyes glared angrily ahead. He had to be the strong one. He had to be the one to keep their hopes on a leash. He couldn't hope. He couldn't wish for Sakura to be alive. Kakashi wasn't allowed to feel like that. That was his rule, his code: don't hope when you can't see the end.

But that was _already_ another rule, on the stack of many others, which he had broken.

* * *

Sasuke ran alone. He recalled how his cheek stung, the mark of her hand had turned purple. The energy she had pumped into that emotional strike hadn't intended to leave so easily. His lip had bled inside his mouth. The salty taste was still stuck with him, as was its rusty smell. It stayed with him, coming in again when his jaw ached, refreshing his anger every time.

Sasuke could feel his team very far behind him. He had no intention of falling back. His rage towards a certain woman would not allow him to get near her. The wish to turn around and beat her until she regretted striking him was very strong.

Sasuke's self control was a lot weaker than she could comprehend.

She had stepped very far out of line. Hadn't he decided to kill her if she ever did that again?

It didn't matter, anyway. All he could think of were the accusations he had presented her. She had no place in judging him. He did what he had to do. He had no regrets.

Her words played over and over again. He listened to every hidden intention of her words. And the look on her face was trapped in his head. Her jade eyes, such an abnormal color, were not clear, not easy to read and filled with tears.

They were far behind him. She was behind him. Sakura was unable to focus on that fact. What can one expect of a woman in such a situation? Two of the people she cared for were to face such a bleak end…

Suigetsu held her forearm up to prepare for another possible collapse.

She was weak. She knew she was weak.

Her indecision would be her downfall. She was rash, she was reckless. It was true. She knew that it was a mistake to let Genma run. He ended up dead no matter what she did to save him. She might have gotten home. She might have seen Kakashi again. She might have saved Naruto…

No, she wouldn't have known about Sasuke's plans, the Akatsuki's plans, if she hadn't stayed.

Things were fated to be… She was meant to meet Sasuke again, right at the end of all things.

Her love for them, for her brothers, was strong. But, that wasn't entirely true. They were more than her brothers. Kakashi was not a teacher, a father, or a sibling. His leadership and soothing looks meant more to her than that. And Naruto… The love she had for him was so powerful. Even the thought of him lifted her spirits. His generous smile was so familiar to her. What had she done to deserve such a smile? And Sasuke… Did she still care about him? She wasn't sure anymore.

She felt as if her heart was being ripped apart.

Could she still care for someone like Sasuke? Could she care for a man that killed Akane and Genma? He was going to betray them again…

Could she care for his pale face, his sharp voice, his intimidating presence, or his deep, thoughtful eyes? Could she still care for someone that saved her life more than once, without a second thought? Could she care for someone that knew so little about her? He seemed to be excommunicated, more now than ever. His crimes against the only family he had, she imagined so (Had he ever cared about them all?), were very serious. They couldn't be overlooked any longer.

Sasuke hardly knew them now. They were strangers. She had changed so much. Sakura had shed blood, sweat, and tears for her country, just as so many before her. She couldn't hold onto the past. Sasuke was not who she had expected. Yet he had, at one point, accepted her character even as a _stranger_ to him.

He was no different from Orochimaru now. He had an objective. If people had to die for him to get what he wanted he wouldn't even bother to think on it.

She had to get to Naruto. If she could find him before Sasuke did, before time ran out, they could get away.

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin's voice broke her thoughts. It sounded fearful as she shouted.

Sasuke looked behind him at the sound of his name and was forced to drop back. He fell beside Karin and waited.

She seemed unsure, but shaken all the same. "There's a huge amount of chakra hovering around the border." The kunoichi shook her head. "It's like it's waiting for us…"

Sasuke peered into the darkening woods as a smirk pulled at his lips.

Sakura understood and a wave of hollow hope covered her. "Naruto…"

Sasuke looked to his team. "Speed up, prepare to attack. Don't hold back." His eyes turned red. "This won't be easy."

In a few minutes the terrifying chakra was visible.

The mass suddenly broke into a run at them and Sakura's stomach clenched.

_Naruto…_ He was possessed. Where would his smile be? Where were those uplifting feelings she had imagined earlier. Would he even recognize her? What could she do for him without revealing who she was?

No, it didn't matter anymore. If Sasuke found out, so be it. Sakura wasn't going to hold back, just as Sasuke commanded. Naruto was far more important to her than her anything she could think up.

"We're crossing over the border." Sasuke pulled out his kusanagi and leapt up, landing on the open ground. His sword grazed the snow, leaving a white trail in the air.

The leafless trees had thinned in this spot and a large craggy field of stone began.

A cliff loomed over them and Sasuke looked up. The starry sky observed them as the giant chakra settled.

A black claw gripped the edge of the cliff. Karin flinched. Then a head appeared. White eyes stared at them, shifting from one person to the other.

Sakura's heart leapt at the sight of him and she ached for him. His tails were the next thing in sight. They whipped around in a tussle, moving energetically.

Then his white eyes fell on Sakura. The look changed in them, as if something was trying to break out.

Sakura reached for him. "Naruto…" She had the urge to go to her blond friend. Maybe if she could just touch him…

"Sa… Sa…" His clawed hand mimicked hers. Sakura smiled weakly.

Sasuke smirked at the demon, not reacting to Sakura's gesture. The jinchuuriki had indeed surprised him. "Naruto." The monster's attention was drawn away as the shinobi took a step forward.

His white eyes saw Sasuke. They saw the dark chakra within him. The demon boy threw his head from side to side. He tried to shove back the Kyuubi. "Sa…" Sakura begged silently. _Please… say my name… I'm here, right here!_ She vacillated his way. Then, without warning, his back arched and his eyes shut. He was loosing the struggle. "Sa…" The black energy overcame him. "_Sasuke!_" Wide eyes looked at the sword in his hand. "_The Hachibi…_" The jinchuuriki watched both Sakura and Sasuke recognize the name. The Uchiha's glance flashed to his sword.

The fox held him back. _"He doesn't have it!"_ The demon inside Naruto shouted.

This realization stopped him. He moved in jerky motions as if his joints were stiff.

The jinchuuriki gave an elongated shutter and he growled painfully before shooting off into the air, vanishing again.

Sakura was frozen.

_He's not here._

Naruto's rage...His loss of control had shaken her.

_He's not here anymore._

Sasuke smiled at such a thing… it was so wrong. Had they grown so far apart that they only have malice toward each other?

_They've left you._

Why couldn't she do anything for them? It was like watching a scene with thick glass between them. She could only watch as their battles developed and changed, growing more vicious.

_They don't see you._

Sakura couldn't do anything. She was a waste of life. She was incapable to protect those she loved.

_They've left you behind again._

"Sasuke! There are Earth nin headed this way!" Had Karin been so distracted not to notice?

Sasuke looked in the direction she pointed to and could immediately see them. They must have been following Naruto up until they met.

Sasuke looked to Suigetsu, who had remained silent. The white haired man nodded and lifted his already drawn sword onto his shoulder.

Sakura didn't notice that she was shaking. She stood still as the three shinobi around her got ready for battle.

_Naruto is going to Grass… I can catch him if I go now._ Her body was suddenly antsy. It tingled with the want to escape.

"They're here." Karin choked out.

The earth erupted beneath them.

Rocks flew every where, from above and from below. They were suddenly trapped in a vortex of stones.

Sakura looked around her. There were at least a dozen men.

Karin was holding off two nin at once and Suigetsu was surrounded by five. Sakura dodged a charging shinobi that thought he could surprise her and slit under his arm as he passed. It was the major artery and with just a few surges of blood he would be dead. She heard multiple cries and looked to see Suigetsu slicing through all of the men that had encircled him. Sasuke was outside the whirlwind, flashing among the groups of hidden nin that controlled the blustering rocks.

The wall of boulders abruptly dropped and Sakura's legs moved on her own.

She ran.

_Naruto…_ She fled along the edge of the ridge, dodging trees and rocks that appeared from the darkness ahead of her.

Uchiha Sasuke looked up, away from his battle with three more shinobi, to see her disappear into the woods. He killed them quickly and stormed in her direction.

Her chakra trail dissipated and he could no longer sense her.

As he stopped on the ledge the others finished their work.

"Shimata… She got away." Suigetsu wiped the blood from his brow. "Are we going after her?"

Sasuke's crimson eyes remained on the forest. "Which way did Naruto go?"

Karin jumped at the fierceness of his voice. "East. He's almost into Fire country already… How did he…?" She had a far off look in her eye for a moment, in awe at the jinchuuriki's speed. She snapped back to focus and added on, "Akane is going a little further south, possibly into Grass."

Sasuke rumbled. "Go to the old hideout in the mountains. Don't leave until I order it." Sasuke started to walk east.

"Are you going after them alone?"

Sasuke ignored Suigetsu's scoffing question. "Naruto's going into Oto." He called back, almost out of earshot. "I know what he wants."

* * *

This took forever to get right! I can't pull out all of the chapters so quickly. I don't have the stamina or the time. I have rehearsals every night (excluding weekends) for the play I'm in this spring and forced piano practices as well (it's not that I don't want to. I love playing. It's just that I never bring myself to actually sit down and read the music)… Not to mention homework. (I'm complaining… I'm so good at it.)

I don't know when I wrote what's above, but it's very sad... I've cut out a lot of my little comments, but this one I have to keep. Anyway, enjoy Eien no Kessoku

Next Chapter – Choices

IAmNotANut


	10. Choices

Christina – Don't be so dissuaded… Just because it's not happening _now_ doesn't mean I haven't thought about it. **X3 (Hint: look forward to the next chapter)**

Playlist: Falling Away With You (Muse), Don't Wait (Dashboard Confessional).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Choices

* * *

The sun had barely risen. Shadows and mist enveloped the mountains. It was crisp. The snow had yet to melt and the craggy rocks were coated in layers of ice…

Kakashi's team was still on the move. They had passed into Earth without incident and the country's nin weren't anywhere in the vicinity. This was too suspicious to overlook.

This would have been a troubling thing if there wasn't something more pressing on their minds.

The thought that there was something holding these patrol nin's attention would concern any shinobi. If it was so important that the defense for Earth Country had to leave their positions, it was something Kakashi's squad should worry about.

It wasn't hard to realize whatit was that distracted them, however, because just at that moment a beastly force flashed in the sky of them like a black shooting star. It sent a sonic boom through the snowy cliffs. Akamaru growled and his fur bristled. The size of that chakra was hard to ignore. Kiba could tell by the strong scent of blood that this wasn't something you wanted to run into.

Kakashi watched as the energy whizzed above them. He didn't even think to identify it. His mind was preoccupied, for that chakra wasn't the only monster about this early in the morning.

There were at least three shinobi dwelling within Earth Country that worried him. Their energies were too sinister, too dark to look past.

He wasn't the only one to notice them. Shik, Chouji and Kiba all turned to him with inquiring looks. They couldn't tell if it was one and the same with whatever had passed overhead or something worse.

Hinata stared above, struck by what she had seen. She had ceased running entirely, remaining to stare at the sky where the fleeting darkness had clouded the sun's warmth. Her Byakugan was activated. Thin lines, similar to bulging veins, branched off her eyes.

Kakashi slowed to look back at her as she uttered something under her breath. "N-…" Her eyes stared, sightless by shock. "N-…N-Naruto-kun…"

Kakashi leaned in, had he heard correctly?

Kiba felt a shiver run up his spine at the name. "Damn it!" He tried to push off an angled rock and started to run in the direction of the dark comet.

Shikamaru used himself as a human blocker to keep the nin from running off after the jinchuuriki. "Kiba, stop."

Chouji was awestruck. He followed Hinata's gaze. _Naruto!?_

Kiba struggled a little. "That was Naruto. Hinata said it was Naruto!" He pushed Shikamaru away, but the man held fast. "We have to intercept him, right? That's our mission!" Akamaru barked, standing just behind, waiting to follow his partner wherever he went.

"Kiba, we are not alone." Shik revoked his grip on the nin and shoved him, making his body turn.

The man's headlong behavior had not allowed him to see two shinobi standing a short distance away.

Kakashi stared at a blond haired man with a hight ponytail and bangs that covered one of his eyes. The second's entire face was unseen due to the swirling orange mask he had on. The black lines swirled in to focus in on his right eye.

Both were wearing cloaks with red clouds on them.

Kakashi deliberated inside. Should they turn and run after Naruto? Then again that wouldn't be so wise. If they were to do so than these people would undoubtedly follow them and tell the rest of their group Naruto's position. If that happened, they would have a grim situation on their hands.

Before a decision escaped his lips the blond spoke.

"Looks like we have guests, nah?" The blond outstretched his arms. "Welcome to Earth Country!" Then, with a laugh, a number of small off-white balls flew from the mouths on his hands. They expanded in puffs of smoke and a swarm of small birds took flight. They flocked together in the air and nosedived at them. "Welcome to_ Hell!_"

The team dove to different sides. Hinata, Kiba and Chouji went to the left and Kakashi with Nara to the right.

"Tobi!"

The masked man nodded, "Hai, Deidara-sempai!" and leapt away.

The birds enveloped them. Kakashi saw Hinata. Her eyes were wide. She could see where this was going.

"_Katsu_!"

Explosions sounded like little pops. Pop, pop… A symphony of noise. An artist's dream.

The five of them were lost in the clouds of light and smoke.

When the smoke cleared Deidara wasn't surprise to see that all of them had disappeared. Hinata with her Byakugan and Kakashi's Sharingan had seen what those birds were and managed to warn the rest of them in the chaos. What had blown up were their shadow clones.

"Deidara-sempai…" Tobi took a step out of hiding. As he did there was a flash of silver behind him.

Kakashi stabbed the clueless shinobi deep into the right arm.

Without even reacting, Tobi whirled around and slammed that same arm into Kakashi's shoulder, knocking him away.

The shinobi took in the blow and skidded to a halt. Where had this strength come from? Tobi pulled out the kunai and, to Kakashi's surprise, there was not one sign of blood on it.

The other members of Kakashi's team came out of hiding. Hinata attacked Deidara, aiming for his hands, the hardest target to lock on. But, even so, if she successfully hit them she could keep him from infusing his chakra with the exploding clay.

Tobi looked around for the masked shinobi's teammates. There had been five, right?

To answer his internal question, two Kibas appeared. They looked down from the rocky formation around the battlefield with animalistic madness in their eyes.

"_Gatsuuga!_" Both spun though the air into Tobi.

Tobi dodged and, just as the two passed him, he grabbed the ends of the flying drills. While they were still spinning, shredding the black sleeved, Tobi threw them into the cliff-side.

Without time for a breath Chouji's enlarged hand came down on the Akatsuki member and smashed the earth.

Smoke rose from the crater he created and suddenly Chouji winced. His hand rose slowly and with difficulty.

Underneath, Tobi stood while holding the enormous hand with is own. His voice was suddenly menacing. "You think a few amateurs can stop me?"

Kakashi slid underneath Chouji's hand and kicked Tobi in the kidney. The man's hands had been preoccupied with holding up the arm and failed to block it. Chouji quickly pulled back his appendage before he smashed Kakashi. He had been pressing down on it before, trying to squish Tobi.

The nin emerged from the pit and fought hand to hand. Tobi kicked Kakashi in the side and Kakashi recovered by stomping his foot onto Tobi's knee. There was no sickening crunch as he had expected. That kick should have shattered the knee cap, breaking that joint. Instead the man acted as if he had done it accidentally and Kakashi pulled out a dagger from the pack on his back. He slashed at Tobi and sliced down his face.

This deep cut in the mask failed to split it in half, but the shinobi was shocked. He leapt away. Tobi reached for his head. An agonizing pulsing began there. Why… why was he so familiar!?

Kakashi couldn't tell precisely if Tobi's killing intent was still in place. And he simply watched as Tobi collapsed on the ground, knotting his gloved fingers into his black hair.

His knees dug into the snow and a perplexed Copy-cat ninja overheard muttering from behind the orange mask. "Mission…" His head jerked. "…" His left side had a spasm unlike Kakashi had ever seen before. The other side seemed almost limp, almost nonexistent. "… Rules… regulations…" He thrashed from side to side. "Coward…"

While Chouji assisted Kiba at getting out of the crevice Tobi had made with their bodies Kakashi deliberated, stepping away but still straining to hear what the shinobi was mumbling. A dark air gathered around the fallen man.

Deidara looked up and saw the predicament Tobi was in. "Taku…!" Hinata took another jab at him. The blond had successfully dodged most of her attacks and his arms were of full use to him still, but he was loosing feeling to one leg where she had successfully landed a hit.

He kicked the kunoichi away and a handful of clay spiders attached themselves to her. Just before he yelled _'katsu'_ he felt the fifth contender appear behind him and Deidara was suddenly unable to move.

His head turned to look over his shoulder and he saw, from out of the shadows of mornings light, a man with a spiky ponytail step out. He was smirking.

"Ossu!" Shikamaru raised both his hands over his head, he bent them into an 'S' shape (looking more like a monkey than a shinobi). Deidara was forced to do the same.

"Kon'aro!" The blond shouted loudly. Hinata brushed off the bugs on her and stood. She ran back to him. Shikamaru could hold him still while she hit his tenketsu and render him helpless.

She focused her chakra to her finger tips and a lump abruptly appeared in the rock floor.

She gave a little cry and jumped back as a green object sprouted out.

Kakashi heard her squeak and looked in that direction. This gave Tobi just enough time to retreat.

Deidara laughed. "Took long enough, Zetsu!" He began to pull down his arm and shocked Shik with his easy resistance. Had he been holding out this whole time!?

Tobi landed between the other cloaked Akatsuki members, clutching his head. The plant like man fully emerged and, before Hinata could attack again, Deidara broke from Shikamaru's shadow possession and they disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Hatake… Kakashi…"

That was the last thing the squad's leader heard from his masked opponent before the three Akatsuki escaped.

…

Deidara rubbed his numb thigh as he sat in a dark cave.

"Dabo! What the hell took you so long, nah?"

Zetsu stood at the mouth of the cave, gazing out. "The jinchuuriki has slipped through."

"No shit, Sherlock!" Deidara wrapped a bandage around his forearm where a kunai grazed it and pulled the knot tight with his teeth. He spat out the cloth and looked to Tobi. "And what's with you, nah!? You left me to bake out there!"

Tobi was in the back corner, clutching his forehead. He remained silent, not hearing Deidara's question (If it was a question).

He hated being stuck with this freak. It was like he had a split personality. One moment he'd be all talk, throwing his weight around. The next he'd be a stupid gaki and complained about headaches and cried for no good reason. "So what's the plan now?" Maybe the other man would be more useful (If you could call _that_ a man).

The plant thing suddenly turned dark. The black side of his face looked at Deidara out of the corner of his eye. "_You expect me to cover for you're slip up!? You were supposed to catch the kid as he went through Earth!_" After a second, the white face argued back. "We should have known that the jinchuuriki wouldn't be stopped so easily. We will wait at the next location to get him. Itachi and Kisame are coming from Fire to block him if he tries to get away."

"_What use are they? If the Kyuubi is so strong he'll just get by again! Those two are _useless_!!_"

"If Itachi heard you say that, you'd be dead."

"_We'd be dead…_" The dark side corrected.

The blond sighed. He was stuck with _two_ twisted bastards. "So… Itachi," -He hissed the name- "is coming to meet us. Where will you go, Zetsu?"

"We will watch for any more changes."

"Contact me _before_ we miss him again. If we mess up this opportunity to catch the Kyuubi, the higher-ups will kill us." He chuckled at the thought and walked out of the cave.

"I hope Itachi will do something this time." He was partially siding with the dark side of Zetsu. _Where's Itachi? He could have been really helpful…_ "If you think that kid will be sane enough to go though with Konoha's plan, fine with me…" He sighed. "To Grass we go."

* * *

The old hut in the lush mountainside had a morning's glow around it. Everything was white. The snow had purified every inch of the land.

It had also proven to be very annoying when all you had to heat your home with was an metal stove.

An old man with long white hair was watching a water puddle intently. Was he waiting for it to freeze? Where did a water puddle even come from in this weather?

He sat there, all the same, on the porch of his house, watching and waiting.

A ripple ran across it. Then two. Was there even a breeze? The water was disturbed, throwing miniature waves onto the unfrozen ground around it.

The old man looked expectantly at it and wasn't a bit surprised when a large webbed foot, the size of a human hand, stepped out.

He didn't look that amazed when a large frog, as big as the man's torso, crawled from the puddle. The man didn't even flinch when the frog leapt onto him, hiding from the freezing winds in the folds of his clothes.

"J-Jiraiya-sama… N-Naruto-kun has g-gone berserk!" The frog was shivering. "He was almost to Earth Country when he became possessed. Yo-you were r-right… the K-Kyuubi is searching f-for it. He went st-straight past the Akatsuki. Then… He s-s-saw Sasuke." The frog shimmied further into Jiraiya's thick coat. Jiraiya's face darkened. "Sasuke knows about the Kusanagi…" The white haired man looked up from his little companion. _The Uchiha kid is more informed than I had expected… This may not be a good thing…_

None the less, he questioned further. "What about the nin going to meet him?" The Sannin watched as the puddle froze over. His arms wrapped around the amphibian, holding back the snowy gusts.

"I d-didn't see them. But S-Sasuke w-went off after Narut-to."

"Good work… Now, go inside and get warm."

The frog nodded and Jiraiya wrapped his thickly woven scarf around the little guy before he hopped away.

He pulled up the hood of his red trench coat and closed his clothes where the frog had laid. The man spoke aloud. "So… Naruto is going to Oto… I thought he would. Sooner or later he had to. Maybe the Kyuubi will be at peace once he finds the Hachibi and kills him…" He stood against the bracing wind. "But, no matter how chummy Naruto and the Kyuubi get… The Akatsuki will never stop."

With a sigh he walked up the frozen steps onto this porch and was welcomed home by a wave of fiery heat.

"What will you do, Jiraiya-sama?"

"I need to finish this…" He walked out of the heat's range and into his bedroom. His bag was already packed. "I'm bringing this fight to the source. I have a few things I need to take care of first." He threw it onto his shoulders and went to a loose floorboard. He lifted it and removed a pack of weapons. After restocking entirely he knelt near the floor and bit this thumb. A bead of blood swelled.

He muttered a summoning jutsu and pushed his bleeding thumb to the wooden floor. In a puff of smoke a scroll, merged with a frog, appeared.

"Jiraiya-sama!" The frog greeted him happily.

"I need you to go to Tsunade." He ordered. "As soon as Naruto returns, explain everything to him."

"B-But, Jiraiya-sama… Naruto isn't ready yet."

"The Yondaime's seal has weakened… and I may not be there to give it to him when the time comes." The Sannin looked away. The frog from his living room was looking in on the conversation. "You should go home before this gets messy." The small frog nodded reluctantly and vanished in a cloud of white.

The scroll-bearing creature shook his head. "I can't believe it's come to this… It's like history is repeating itself…"

Jiraiya shook his head. The man walked out the front door after putting out the heater's fire. The snow hit him, full force, when he stepped into it. The frog followed. The house disappeared in a wall of flying white. They walked to the frozen puddle and the ice melted away. Jiraiya picked up the frog and stepped onto the surface. The amphibian looked up at him, expecting a response.

He obliged. "We've learned things from the last time…" Then under his breath as the water came to life under him, Jiraiya whispered regretfully. "It won't end like that again…"

They disappeared into the water.

* * *

Naruto walked on a frozen river. The ice moved slowly down the center of it. This river was much calmer even if the waterfall that roared in the background said otherwise. As he stepped on the open water steam rose from his feverish body.

This was a place of many memories… Many dark memories.

The Valley of the End…

There were two colossus monuments before him. On Fire Country's side of the waterfall was the Shodai Hokage. On the other side was Uchiha Madara.

Naruto felt the Kyuubi's restlessness pulling him into another vision of the past.

Pain ran through him. Hate… Revenge… Betrayal… Weren't these also what he associated with this place?

…

An echo of a voice rang in his mind.

"Kyuubi…"

An echo of a soul… and echo of a man.

"Do as I bid you to and I will let you rest…"

"_The shrine…_" Kyuubi's shadow covered the whole side of the waterfall. The sun had almost set.

"Yes, but you must finish something first." The man stood across the river from him on the head of his own statue. His black hair blew wildly in the wind and a smirk graced his features. "You wish to kill the Hachibi?"

The Kyuubi seemed half asleep. "_Yes… Yes… Yamata no Orochi…_" His red eyes were trapped in the blaring Sharingan.

"He is in Konoha. He has sealed himself into a sword that is in the possession of his human puppet, Orochimaru."

"_Orochimaru… He has it? He has the sword?_" The Kyuubi began to stand.

Madara lifted his head. The Kyuubi settled again.

"After you have done what I ask, you can kill them both. Then I will let you rest."

"_Rest…_" The fox demon's eyes danced at the idea. He was so exhausted. The bijuu bowed his head. "_We have a deal?_"

"…" Madara's smirk grew. "Yes…" He ducked his head, acknowledging the demon, and turned to walk away. He vanished, just as the sun set before him.

…

The Kyuubi shuttered.

"_I didn't see him after that time. That bastard…_" The Kyuubi's fur bristled. "_His control. That Sharingan… I was no match for it then. Kukuku… In fact, I was lucky to get sealed into a kid like you where he couldn't reach me._" Naruto snorted. What substitute for a _shrine_ could he be? The Kyuubi carried on. "_Under the sinister eyes of the Sharingan I had no power over my actions… I didn't _have_ to kill those people. I wanted to get back at that son of a bitch, Hachibi, that was all…But I had no clue what I was doing. The Uchiha's bloodline was strong in that boy. It was strong enough to turn me into a meat puppet…_"

The Kyuubi simmered down. Naruto chanted like mantra: 'The past is past'.

Anyway, where was this prodigy now? He had heard the name many times from Jiraiya. Wasn't Uchiha Madara one of the founders of Konoha, just like the Shodai Hokage? Shouldn't he be dead?

The fox interrupted his thoughts. "_I don't regret it…_" The demon walked on all fours, controlling the boy's body. "_I don't regret being stuck with you, kid…_" The jinchuuriki seemed comforted by this. He didn't understand why, but he felt a little better knowing that he was somewhat valuable to the demon inside of him. "_But, I have a score to settle with Uchiha Madara. Next time I won't fall so easily at the feet of the Sharingan._"

_At the feet of the Sharingan…_Naruto repeated. It seemed so ironic that both had been defeated by the Uchiha clan at this same spot.

"_Yamata no Orochi will pay, as well… Then I will be at peace._" These two… the one that released him and the one that had manipulated him… These were the people he sought vengeance upon? Naruto wanted to ask but couldn't find his voice.

The Kyuubi felt Naruto's fading strength. "_Your body won't hold up much longer. I'm sorry kid, but there are things I still have to do before I go back inside for good._"

"F-…" The jinchuuriki spoke aloud for once. "F-for good?"

"_I don't like to repeat myself, kid._" The Kyuubi chuckled. "_I wouldn't have thought that that's what I wanted from the very beginning…When I had that quiet for the first twelve years it was like I had never left the shrine… But, the seal your Hokage put on you isn't as sturdy as it use to be. That Uchiha brat you went around with for so long reminded me of what I had sworn to do._"

"S-Sasuke…"

The Kyuubi touched the bars in front of Naruto. "_If this, living inside of you, is the last life I will live…_" The demon left the cage with ease. Naruto was still trapped behind him. "_I want to finish the job I've started…_" On the outside, the border between Rice Country and Fire, The Kyuubi began scaling the rock wall beside the waterfall. "_I like you, kid, but I've got scores to settle._"

Naruto felt his body being covered in a warm blanket of darkness.

The Kyuubi overcame the edge of the valley as a sixth tail appeared. The jinchuuriki was being pushed further and further into the back of the cage, being wrapped tighter and tighter in the binds of shadows.

The Sound base, where Orochimaru's body had remained all these years, was near.

* * *

There were fields of prickly branches. They had been weeds in fields of lush grasslands but all had died in the frost. The world, as far as she could see, was white.

Sakura was running. She was sure that she could find Naruto in Grass Country, where he promised to rendezvous in the message to Tsunade. She had been running in this land for three days straight. She was afraid to stop. What if Team Hebi was looking for her? What if Naruto passed her up while she rested?

She shoved away those thoughts. She had no time for weakness. Even if it killed her, she would see Naruto's smile again and hear his chiming laugh.

The village of Kusa was close.

She had to hope. It was the only thing that kept her legs moving. It was the only thing that fought her worn out body... it was the only thing that kept her from stopping.

Her team… How she missed them. She wanted Kakashi to wrap his arm around her shoulder and hold her tightly. She wanted Naruto to embrace her and kiss her playfully on the cheek. She wanted Sasuke to smirk at her and retaliate sarcastically from her comments.

"Don't kid yourself, Sakura…" The kunoichi said bitterly. "You can't hide behind them anymore…" Her heart tightened. She let the winter's air come in and harden it. "You have too much expected of you to lean on another… _He_ wouldn't have ever been a shoulder for you to cry on anyway." Foolish hopes, she declared them. Sakura was trapped in foolish hopes.

The city was near. She couldn't feel Naruto anywhere near and took a deep and calming breath. She wasn't too late. She hadn't missed him yet.

Sakura's heart began to relax and she slowed her run to a walk. She couldn't stay in the village, she decided. That would be the first place Team Hebi would look. She would set up camp outside the city and wait.

Finding cover was impossible in this place. Trees were hard to find. If there were any, they were saplings and were of no use to her. So, with no luck in finding an abandoned house or any sort of protection from the wind, she camped in the open, where she was most vulnerable.

The fire she had made sizzled in the wind. The gusts were sporadic and threw her black hair and the flames all around. She couldn't predict the direction the fire would go next and eventually had to move out of its reach before she got burned. She had killed two snow rabbits by chance on the way and was very pleased that she could hunt down her own food for once in weeks. The luxury of idly living in captivity was stale in her mouth. It came with too many costs.

After she ate she sat in silence, entranced by the fire's glow.

"Did you miss us…? Sasuke…" She whispered to the wind. "You didn't intend to… but…" her eyes glanced shyly to the side. "I think you did…" She smiled at the thought.

Hope… Dreams… These things, for once in a long time, graced her in a sensational sleep.

* * *

"We are nearing the city. Where shall we wait?" Zetsu's outline was unmistakable in the night.

"I'll go south of the city with Tobi. You should stay close to the Fire Country border. Wait for Itachi there. Rain's side is covered." Deidara sighed. He was getting bored. The way that demon sped right past them was a little suspicious. If he had kept up that pace to Kusa he would have been there already.

"Itachi won't be in position until tomorrow afternoon. We'll have to hold stand our ground until then." Zetsu started to merge into the ground.

Deidara was inspecting the mouth on his hand. He picked at the edge, checking the teeth. "I'll send you a message when I see him."

The dark side shouted. "_You better not screw up!_" Deidara glared at the Venus flytrap before it disappeared into the earth.

"Creepy bastard…" he muttered.

Tobi was silent still. Deidara was getting angry.

"You better not freak out on me this time!" The masked man looked up.

"H-hai," His voice was close to monotone, "Deidara-sempai…" The two exchanged a look before leaping into the fields of dead grass and snow.

"At least we're not in Earth anymore. That place has a lot of bad memories…" He chuckled to himself. His headband glinted in the moon light. The symbol with a scratch running through it was none other than Iwagakure's emblem. "I consider you lucky. You can't remember whatever you did to get mixed up with us… Where did Zetsu find you, anyway?"

"I was in Earth Country, too."

"Really, now!"

The man was silent.

"Maybe you aren't so lucky. If it has anything to do with Earth Country it's not a pretty picture."

"Aa…" He responded tonelessly. His headache was coming back.

_Rocks… There were rocks… The cry of a name… His name? He couldn't hear it. He grabbed someone's arm, throwing them out of the way of the falling boulders. Then the pain started. He was on his back. His right side was gone._

_A hand grabbed his. Soft eyes, filled with tears, stared down at him._

_A gift? He had said something about a gift… _

_There was a green light._

_His eye was gone. He only saw black. _

_But that hand… That warm hand held onto him until the very end…_

_until the world…_

_went… _

_dark…_

Tobi clutched his temples. He groaned painfully. There was wetness in his eye.

"Didn't I say something about freaking out, nah?" Deidara pounded his partner on the back.

Tobi's head snapped up. Yes, the mission at hand was what really mattered.

Suddenly the blond landed in the snow. His eyes scanned the area.

"What is it, Deidara-sempai?"

He smirked. "We're not the only ones out here." The blond strutted cheerfully through the brush. "It's a familiar face, if I'm not mistaken."

"Who?…"

Deidara chuckled. "You remember Sasori, nah?"

"Sasori-dono…?"

"You wanna meet the girl who killed him?"

* * *

Sakura was awakened in the night. Sleep was just out of her grasp, as always, and she sat up from the black cloak wrapped around her tightly.

Her fire had fizzled out and there was little light around her. The half moon above her was shaded by wispy clouds of gray.

There were prowlers out. She could feel two of them.

The chakra of one she remembered from years back. When she and Naruto went to save the Kazekage… It was Gaara's capture: Deidara.

It was the Akatsuki. She could only guess that they were also waiting for Naruto. Sasuke had been right, follow Naruto and you will find the Akatsuki. She wondered where Itachi could be…

The two shinobi were approaching faster now. She threw her things together and stomped out the smoldering ashes, then kicked snow over it. With the winds still strong, the snow would appear flawless soon enough.

Sakura glared in their direction. It was much colder than that afternoon. The snow would be coming down thick in a few minutes, judging by the clouds.

The shinobi were still out of sight.

Sakura shook her head. Naruto couldn't take on a cluster of the Akatsuki. She assumed that was their ploy. Lure Naruto into a safe spot, and then take him down from all sides.

Sakura was presented two options:

First, run. Escape with her life to fight another day.

Second, weaken the Akatsuki's forces so Naruto might have a chance to get away.

Hadn't there been a similar dilemma in the past? Run or fight? Was she to make the same choice as before?

She didn't even know if Naruto was coming. She had no clue as to how many there were surrounding the village.

Would she charge blindly? Would she make the sacrifice, the same one she made for Genma, for Naruto? Sakura knew that they didn't need her alive. There would be no mercy.

Her feet tingled. She wanted to run. She was afraid again… That same knot closed up her throat.

She didn't want to die.

_Fear…_ She cursed. _That is the only thing here that would see me to my grave._ Sakura clenched her fist. _How can I even question what I will do? There is no choice here… I know what I have to do._

Sakura stepped into the snow, toward her enemy.

_I will always be a shinobi of Konoha…_

She drew her hands in to a seal, he breaths were slow and deep. There was no hesitation in her eyes. She had to protect Naruto.

_I will always have a family… I will always have hope._

Naruto's eyes… Kakashi's laugh… Sasuke's smirk… She had them all with her. She would fight just to see them. She would fight for the men she loved. The lump began to dislodge from her throat.

_There will always be someone important to me that I will to protect._

Her chakra was replenished. Death…was a part of life. One just has to remember what you would willingly die for.

_Sacrifice… It comes with the job._

A last thought invaded her before dove into battle.

It was the cool and collected features of Sasuke. He was looking away; a smirk was soft on his lips. His eyes were hard and strong. They flickered to her sea-foam green ones and they softened. She felt her confidence crumble. She wasn't ready to die. She wasn't ready to give up those onyx eyes.

The two figures appeared out of the horizon.

"Long time, no see, kunoichi!"

* * *

Ahahahahaha! Cliffhanger for you, there! Enjoy that.

I think it's really funny… I st-stuttered_ a l-lot_ in this ch-…ch-chapter… hehehehe… It must have been _really _annoying. But, whatever.

The next chapter will be a huge step forward. I'm not afraid of how it will go over with you all but... It's still a very big step forward. Can you guess what will happen?

**I would look forward to the next chapter if I were you.**

**Secrets will be revealed.**

It is mostly in Sasuke's POV…And it will be much better than Truth and, perhaps, longer.

_Preview for Chapter 11:_

The forest was frozen again. Just after the ice had melted, just after the sun had come out, winter had to snatch it away again. Why did the world have to change? Why couldn't things just stay they way they always were? Couldn't summer stay for just a little longer? Couldn't fall be fought back?

Things change. Seasons change. But there are things in this world that hold you to earth. They root you to where you are so that you won't be swept away by the turning tide.

He could feel her. It was faint but ever so clear in his mind. The shinobi's pace didn't slow. His steps didn't falter when he landed, seeing a still form on the earth feet from where he was.

The past was clear. The future _would_ be obtained. The present was…

Right in front of him.

Next Chapter – Mementos of the Past

IAmNotANut


	11. Mementos of the Past

This chapter moves quickly. So don't freak when you don't know what happens to Sakura. Just wade through it, and I promise that it will clear itself out.

Playlist: Thank You For The Venom (My Chemical Romance), Little Things Give You Away (Linkin Park), and Two Ways To Say Goodbye (Pat Monahan).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Mementos of the Past

* * *

The earth was marred by battle. Sakura was lying among disturbed snow and craters of black. She was collapsed, clutching her side and breathing in short pants.

Blood oozed down her leg and to the ground. Her right thigh was torn open. The vain had yet to rupture and the flesh tingled in these freezing winds. She was grateful to it. The cold was acting as a painkiller.

Deidara was in the air riding a large clay dragon. "I couldn't have planned it better. The picture of agony is trapped in your eyes. It is truly my best work."

Sakura sneered. She spat blood at the ground in disgust.

The blond laughed. "Tobi, finish her."

Tobi did as was told and walked up slowly to the wounded kunoichi. His feet crunched in the snow. Sakura could hardly hear it against the overpowering pounding of her head.

There was something still clear in her mind.

Naruto was waiting for her… She couldn't give up.

Green chakra laced her hand and she stuck it to her leg.

Green…

Green chakra…

"Tobi, what are you waiting for, nah?" Deidara looked down at his partner.

Tobi's thoughts flashed. "Team… " He threw his head side to side. "Rin… Rin!" He was gasping for breath. His head lifted and Sakura looked into his eye. She was frozen by shock. She couldn't believe what stared back at her.

Its iris was red.

The shadows made it hard to see but there was black whirling around in it like ink.

He reached out to her with a gloved hand. Sakura recoiled from him and found that she had just enough strength to backpedal out of range.

Here were the facts: Deidara had a fixed amount of clay – he had to be running low by now – and he also had a weak arm where she had super-punched him in his shoulder. Tobi was unstable, to make it short. He was deliberating inside, fighting within himself. He was unreadable, unpredictable, and her greatest worry. Especially after seeing his eye…

Sakura moved further back as Tobi twitched, falling to one knee. He was fighting for control. If he regained his senses…

She was running out of time. The kunoichi sprinted forward. Deidara smirked and unleashed the dragon onto her. While a string of profanities spewed under her breath, a dark object appeared below Deidara. Sakura could have sworn that he had materialized out of the ground.

The dragon's mouth opened up to swallow her, but Sakura jumped away. Without any warning, her leg pulsed and gave out, sending her plummeting backward.

"Deidara." A voice came from the dark figure below him. Sakura threw herself to the side as the dragon's head smashed into the snow again.

"Zetsu! Come to watch the show, nah!?"

There were three Akatsuki now. Sakura winced. _I can't hold off _three_ of them… I didn't think I'd be so helpless against them…_ She cursed her wounds as she held her side. _Naruto._ She had to escape. Sakura threw down the last smoke bombs and disappeared.

The dragon drew back like a coiling snake and shot off into the smoke. Deidara tried to see what direction she had gone in but her chakra trail had been covered. She was suppressing her energy down to dangerous levels which made it impossible to sense.

When the smoke cleared he was left alone with the two men.

Deidara moved to trail after her, but Zetsu's booming voice stopped him. "_She is not apart of your mission! Let her run._"

The shinobi sulked and the clay beast landed on the ground. He dismounted intent to release his anger on someone. "Oi, Tobi! What the hell's wrong with you?" He went to kick the shinobi but in a flash a hand was on his foot.

"Don't touch me…" Tobi glared up at him. His demented eye churned with hostility.

Deidara sighed and pulled his foot away. He took a few steps back, his hands in the air. "Gomen, gomen…!"

"_Are you two done playing around?_" Zetsu strode up to them. Tobi grasped his head again. His fingers flexed against his scalp.

"Yeah, I think Tobi needs a nap. He's getting cranky."

Zetsu watched Tobi get up. "Tobi. You have a mission."

His hand dropped to his side. His voice was toneless. "Speak."

_Ah, _Deidara sighed. _He's back to 'normal', nah?_

"The Kyuubi isn't coming here. He went past, on into Fire Country. _You've wasted time here. _Tobi, you are to go after him." Deidara groaned as if to say 'what about me, nah?'. Zetsu's dark side answered. "_You're gonna go back to the Rain Country. You are only a nuisance._"

Deidara stifled a laugh. "And this block head isn't? He'd be crying on his knees if I wasn't here to smack him around every once and a while, nah…"  
Without a reacting, Tobi walked away.

"The Kyuubi is mine." His head dipped out of view and into the tall grass.

As the other two walked out of sight, Deidara sighed again. "You know, Zetsu, you don't have to get pissed at me. I'm not the one that _sent_ us on a false trail…" The rest faded into the distance.

…

There was soft, uneven footfall in the snow. Sakura stepped out of hiding and released her concealed chakra. Her jade eyes were wide. She tried to absorb all she had heard.

_Naruto… isn't even here…_ The muscles in her thigh jerked. A searing pain branched through her like a poison. The sharp feeling jolted her attention, allowing her to think clearly. _No, that's not what's important. Naruto is still in danger… I have to get to Fire Country._

The gash in her leg and the wound on her side, still raw, made her steps slow. They made her eyes unfocused. The late hours were eating away at her spirits.

_He's going home… He's going… home…_ Her weakness was growing. _He's going… _The bleeding kunoichi limped onward into the stormy horizon.

The darkness was forced to linger by the developing clouds. They commanded that it stay night. They commanded that the world forget there was ever a dawn.

* * *

The forest was frozen again. Days after the ice had melted. Days after the sun had come out; winter went on and snatched it away again. Why did the world have to change? Why couldn't things just be they way they always were? Couldn't summer stay for just a little longer? Couldn't fall be fought back?

The ground was covered in a thick snow. Sasuke ran above it. He was above it all. He didn't need to hold onto summer. He didn't need to battle fall. He could wash his hands of winter. But unlike winter, there were some things that stained. There were some things that couldn't be pushed aside. He had to squash it instead. He was forced to remove it entirely from the world.

An avenger lives with and without hope. The dream of killing, the dream of the end of another, the dreams of blood and accomplishment were the things an avenger believes in.

An avenger doesn't have time for late teachers. An avenger never fights idiots without reason. An avenger can't stand tears.

But they would never leave him. He was trapped in his memories. His regret, his hate, the murder of his clan, abandoning Konoha for revenge… These things couldn't be erased from him. He couldn't push away the determination _they_ had to make him stay.

That was what made him show mercy to her. That was what drove him to leave her alive. That was what made him turn around.

His _living_ memento of the past…

The wind rushed by him.

She had a strange code of honor. She was emotional and unpredictable. Compassion and stubbornness were her best and worst traits.

She was _very_ stubborn. She was childish and foolish. Her actions were reckless and no matter how smart she was, she always lost her head when matters of the heart got in the way.

She was a woman with so much to loose. Yet, she could stand between him and those she cared about when outnumbered. She would sacrifice her identity, her freedom, just so her comrades could live.

She was proud and insolent. She was irrational and loud. She was weak. She was a burden.

She was Sakura.

* * *

Red Sharingan stared into the oncoming clouds. The mountain tops were covered by the opaque sky and everything was blurry in the snow's white shield. These mountains were far in the distance. All that surrounded this area were trees, painted white. The eyes turned lazily to the side as, from a tree trunk, a large green object in a cloak appeared.

"Zetsu-san." He acknowledged his presence with a nod.

The white face of Zetsu looked down from the tree tops where they stood. "Is Kisame nearby?" He spotted the said man by his dark blue hair. "_He can't hear us from here_." Zetsu looked from conformation from the other man but received no such sign. He continued. "The Jinchuuriki got past our blockade in Earth. _Deidara and Tobi were too distracted to catch him._ But he didn't go to Grass Country as expected." His dark side sneered. "_You're little brother is following the boy. _But I doubt he can stop the demon now."

Itachi ducked his chin into the high collar of his Akatsuki coat to keep from the wind and pushed his hand unto his hair to prevent it from blowing into his face. His fingers remained laced there. "Where is the Kyuubi now?"

"He's gone into Rice Country." The plant replied, still checking on Kisame. "Tobi is already there."

Itachi smirked.

The shinobi's dark side breathed excitedly. "_The Kyuubi doesn't stand a chance._"

Itachi looked at the clouds again. With his vision he could barely make out the lines and shadows in the sky.

A storm was brewing, that much was clear.

"Itachi, get your ass down here." An agitated man shouted from below.

Zetsu exchanged a glance with Itachi before melding into the tree again.

The man landed silently on the earth. The wind was almost unfelt in the swarm of protective trees.

"That son of a bitch really doesn't like me." Kisame had in his hand a pike of fish that was thoroughly cooked. "So, Tobi's in Oto… whoopty-doo. If I'm guessing right, Deidara's clueless as ever. Hahaha… What's the big secret everyone is so intent on keeping from us?"

"Mistakes are out of the question. Tobi must not be discovered by Konoha and the Kyuubi must be taken without incident."

"That or Zetsu won't get off his high fuckin' pedestal." The blue man grumbled as he bit down onto the cooked fish's side with is jagged teeth. "The bastard doesn't like me because he's weaker than me. He thinks it's compensation if he knows more than I do." His mouth was half full. "Who the hell is stupid enough to go around saying Madara is back, anyhow?"

"Deidara is." Itachi stepped away from the fire and leaned back against a tree. The shadows played on his face.

Kisame swallowed his mouthful, then laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right." He gave a toothy grin to his partner and Itachi rolled his eyes. "What? You think _I_ would? Like hell. I don't need _you_ on my bad side." The last part was partially muttered with a sustaining smirk in place.

"Tobi won't take long. I suggest we head back to Rain Country as ordered and wait for them there."

"Aw, come on. I'd like to see the sights before we do. Besides," With his gleaming smile back in place Kisame slyly jeered. "I hear you're _Otouto_ is somewhere in Fire Country, too."

Itachi glared at him. "Continue to eavesdropping and you will get killed."

"I've been warned."

* * *

Ever since the night Hebi initiated their surprise attack on her team, he had known it was her. When she had turned around to face her death and he saw those teary green eyes again…

Those wet eyes were the last image he had of his old teammate.

But he wasn't sure.

They kept her alive as a captive, a source of information. Her intimate knowledge of Uzumaki Naruto seemed like an iceberg. They could see the top, just enough to tell them it existed, but the rest was deep underwater and wasn't going to come out just because they asked. If she hadn't fought hard enough they would have broken her.

He had to keep his head about him. They needed her alive. But he wanted so much to kill her. He wanted her to leave. He didn't want her near him. The weakness threatening him had to be silenced.

Did she think it clever to use a fake name, to change the color of her hair, to act aggressive and speaking without a care of whether she lived or not?

Was it even Sakura? His mind _had_ to be playing tricks on him. She looked entirely different. Her black hair was as short as his and hung closely to her head. Her figure was tone but had an hourglass shape. Her body was overly tense, ready, and she always kept her distance. It was nothing like the girl he had been teamed with who couldn't leave him alone for a second. She _avoided _him. Her expression often flashed with anger when he was near. Her outer appearance was hostile toward him.

Her eyes, however… Through the green sea he read something entirely different.

She had weakness. She was hotheaded, she was reckless. Her sharp tongue always got her into trouble. She was intelligent, but when she became emotional the phrase "look before you leap" never crossed her mind. Her insecurity about her overall strength was crippling at times. She thoroughly underestimated herself and she blamed herself for everything that didn't go as planned.

Her attachment to others was weakness.

There were nights when she would be unsettled and she would call the names of her lost companions. She would toss and turn, pleading that they could live. When one of the names she called for was her own false identity it was difficult to ignore. Suigetsu was getting a little too curious. Her faults were getting her into trouble.

Sasuke decided to act.

The more time she spent away from his teammates, the longer she would live. But before he risked the reliability of the two accompanying him had to be sure that it was her.

He had asked her questions about her past when they were alone. It wasn't just pointless banter, either. If it was really Sakura he would be able to find out about Naruto a lot faster by tricking it out of her. But the answers she gave him were far from what he wanted.

She was definitely edgy. She knew where to poke just to rile him up. She was no longer the love sick puppy that had trailed him for all of those years. She was a shinobi, made cold by time and war… but still she showed _so much_.

When she told him of her friend –her _friend_– he thought she meant the dobe at first. That was not the case, it seemed.

She spoke of paths and goals.

It was like she had prepared to talk to him. She had sincerely thought about what questions to ask and practically quoted what he had said to her the night he left Konoha as if no time had passed between them. Sasuke could see it playing over and over in her mind. Her eyes were trapped in pain and tears…

Sakura had been frozen by winter, frozen in his memories like the rest of them. Kakashi's guidance, his vulgar books… Naruto's loud voice, his trivial challenges through the rivalry they had had. They didn't seem so trivial now…

Why hadn't she tried harder to hide who she was? Why had she made it obvious?

The night when Karin invaded Sakura's mind, Sasuke had almost shattered his calm and collected shell. Sakura's face was pale with beads of sweat on her brow. Her internal agony radiated off of her and when he reached inside her with the Sharingan he saw how much she had suffered underneath. He saw how much she hated and loved him, all at once. He saw how strong she had to be to move on from regret and hopelessness. He could see how she would still go any distance to bring him back.

They were still there. The memories, the hopes he had had, they were beginning to breach the surface. And he let it.

He didn't want to hurt this woman. She was still a part of him.

But, he couldn't be around any mementos of the past. He couldn't afford to branch away from his plans. He couldn't, wouldn't be swayed by her existence. But all the same, he wouldn't allow himself to eliminate those memories.

The border of Oto was far in the distance behind him. But why did he choose to go back now? What was making him turn around? What was making him look for her?

Mementos of the past… They are an insult to the living things they encompass. A human being is alive with a life of there own. If a person's existence is to have memories projected onto them, it is a cruel fate. No one deserved to be trapped in the past. But running from it wouldn't make it easier to move on. Sasuke couldn't wash his hands of something that he didn't want to forget.

The forest was frozen again. Just after the ice had melted, just after the sun had come out, winter had to snatch it away again. Why did the world have to change? Why couldn't things just stay they way they always were? Couldn't summer stay for just a little longer? Couldn't fall be fought back?

Things change. Seasons change. But there are things in this world that hold you to earth. They root you to where you are so you won't be swept away by the turning tide.

He could feel her. It was faint but ever so clear in his mind. The shinobi's pace didn't slow. His steps didn't falter when he landed and saw a still form on the ground, feet from where he was.

The past was clear. The future _would_ be obtained. The present was…

Right in front of him.

Sakura was lying there… right in front of him. She was lying in a freezing puddle of her crimson reflection.

* * *

Tobi was sitting on a rock edge and overlooked a waterfall.

"Valley of the End…" He called the figures to attention. The man sat taller, staring at the face of stone opposing him. There was a tinge of recognition, but these memories were very cold, almost forgotten.

There were more recent things that wouldn't leave him alone.

The memories from this body were still strong. They were like drugs, slowing his mind, confusing him. It was like another person inside of him took over. He was often surrounded in a hurricane of emotions.

It could be provoked by a location, a voice, or even a word. But, most of all, it was the images… the faces…

Tobi had been drowned out by the face of a medic.

…

_"Long time, no see, kunoichi!"_

_She didn't look too happy to see him._

_Deidara unleashed a wave of small clay dolls onto her. She dodged with grace and speed. Deidara sneered. "I'm glad I ran onto you, kunoichi. I was getting bored!" The little bombs exploded all around her. She vanished._

_Sakura landed far to the side. Her green eyes shifted across the plain._

_Tobi had disappeared. His dull, innocent personality had overruled him and he obeyed every command Deidara gave._

_Sakura felt a disturbance under her and stepped softly._

_Tobi emerged from the earth and Deidara shouted. "Ready, Tobi!?"_

_"Hai, Deidara-sempai!"_

_The moon's light was dark blue through the clouds and Sakura looked unnaturally pale as Deidara smiled. She caught 'C-2' out of jumbled words._

_Her heart raced._

_In an explosion of smoke, Deidara was suddenly mounted on a giant winged beast. Sakura gaped at its size and was too preoccupied to see Tobi slipped off the battle field away from them._

_The dragon swooped down at her and she leapt back._

_Something wasn't right. The ground she touched on was soft. Her blood ran cold as pressure gathered between the hollow earth and her feet._

_It was a land mine._

_An explosion enveloped the kunoichi and her side went numb for a split-second. Her bloodcurdling cry rang in the open air._

_Her side was shredded and a sticky red liquid splattered on her face. Sakura slid into the hole and her body shut down. She couldn't feel anything but the throbbing of her abdomen. She clutched it hopelessly. The blood wasn't stopping._

_Her hand began to glow green and she tried to reconnect the veins before she bled to death._

_Tobi stepped onto the field. He could see her chakra flow. Tobi watched from the sidelines as her chakra patterns changed and became erotic. She could barely piece herself together. It was similar to someone from his past. He still couldn't recognize from where, but he engaged all the same. _

_Deidara still couldn't see her. A cloud of smoke had raised right into him and his clay monster._

_He stuck his hand into his back pocket. Impatience was consuming him. The mouth chewed and chewed._

_A small clay bug crawled from his hand and he dropped it through the cloud._

_Sakura's eyes snapped open as the bug landed beside her. She gasped and scrambled away from it._

_"Katsu!"_

_Her thigh was caught in the compressed burst of fire. She fell onto her face. The muscle was torn in her leg. She couldn't move._

_Tobi could tell that Deidara was speaking but he couldn't make it out. The mental block that consumed him wouldn't let him turn from the fallen kunoichi. The look of fear and pain was sending waves of memories through him._

Rin…_ He whispered to himself. The name stung on his tongue._

_His approach was slow._

_The woman watched with fearful eyes and green light caught his attention. Healing chakra sent into her leg._

_Green…_

_Green chakra…_

_"Tobi, what are you waiting for, nah?" Deidara's voice was unheard by his ears._

I'll help you, Rin… I'll protect you…_ Tobi reached toward her. His eyes were playing tricks on him. Her hair wasn't black. It wasn't green eyes he stared into. They were two white patches on the woman's cheeks. There were brown locks of hair in her face. It was Rin… It was his teammate._

_The woman pulled away from his touch and ran from him. She ran._

_Rin ran from him._

_Tobi found himself on his knees as sorrow and rage consumed him._

_His thoughts drifted into darkness._

…

He had resurfaced. His old self, the childhood he had lost through death. Out of perfection he had the ultimate imperfection. He had a boy trapped inside, begging for resolution, begging for a second chance to live. Whoever was still inside wasn't leaving any time soon.

There was no denying it.

* * *

He stared at her. Her eyes were glazed over. She couldn't be dead. She couldn't stop breathing…

His face was passive as he speedily slid his hand under Sakura's back and hooked his arm under her knees. She dangled limply.

She was a stain on his hands. She was one that couldn't be forgotten. Her existence was a piece of who he was.

Sakura's sea foam green eyes looked up at him. Her face was like a pure porcelain mask, speckled with blood.

"S-Sa…su…ke…" She seemed content in just seeing his face.

She was an idiot. She was an idiot for taking on a mission that had anything to do with him. She was an idiot for tracking him. She was an idiot for staying behind to fight him just so someone else could live. And most recently, if the rest wasn't enough, she had taken on the Akatsuki on her own and was nearly dead because of it.

"Annoying."

Her eyes opened a little at the word and she smiled weakly.

An idiot…

Sakura coughed harshly, shutting her mouth tightly to hold in the blood trying to explode from her lungs. Her body tensed in his arms and her eyes closed.

Sasuke watched as she curled into him, hiding from the pain and cold air.

There had to be shelter somewhere in these woods. If her wounds wouldn't kill her, this weather would. The snow was thickening.

But, Sasuke no longer cared.

He was already running.

He knew of a place in this area where Hebi had hidden years back. It was almost two miles off. And if it depended on how long Sakura had to live and how long it took to get there, she would be dead for sure.

She _would_ have been dead.

There was suddenly strange warmth in his arms. Sakura's wounds steamed in the cold air. She was completely unconscious but her body was healing.

Sasuke wouldn't waste any time, medic or not.

It was a cave. The walls were covered in ice sickles and it looked more like the yawning mouth of a beast than a safe haven.

Sasuke carried Sakura in and pulled away his cloak to place it on her.

The woman tried to pull the blanket around her but when Sakura pushed her ribs to the ground she cried out and her arms went limp.

Sasuke stepped silently as he went to Sakura. He turned her onto her back and pulled the cloak back. With two fingers he felt around her lower ribs. Two on her right side were broken. The hole there wasn't bleeding as much, thankfully. He couldn't tell if it was because of her healing or the singe marks that had cauterized it.

She hadn't paid as much attention to her side due to the fact that it wasn't bleeding and was steadily growing tissue on her thigh instead.

Even so, her side was in far worse condition. It had to be causing unbelievable pain. Maybe the reason she focused on the other one more was because of the extreme condition. She wouldn't have enough energy to heal her leg if she had started with her side first.

The burnt skin seeped a yellow liquid. The little blood that was leaking out mingled with it in the raw flesh. Sasuke had to get to this gaping wound before the impending infection could really begin.

Karin's white shirt, the one he had given her, was covered in blood. It was in his way. He didn't have the patience to untie the red ribbon that held it closed. Quickly he took out a kunai and slid it below the cloth. He cut the lacing and the shirt pulled loose. As a heart beat forced the sappy redness onto the floor Sasuke quickly realized that, if anything, that corset-like shirt had been holding _back_ the blood. He pulled the undershirt up. The skin around the hole looked blistered. It felt feverish under his fingers.

He stood away from Sakura for a moment. He strode to the cave's mouth and broke off a crystalline icicle. He had no water in his possession so this would have to serve as a substitute.

He knelt beside her and took a calming breath before placing the ice to her skin.

Sakura writhed and screamed at the ice's touch. Sasuke was forced to hold her down when her strain wouldn't stop. He rubbed the icicle into her and quickly ripped off a piece of his cloak that wrapped around her. She convolved further and he pushed her back into the ground without hurting her by placing his elbow across her shoulders. He held the water source with that hand and in the other was the cloth that he used to wipe away the mixture of blood, puss, and water. Soon the impurities were gone and her struggle lessened.

Sasuke removed himself from her and placed his makeshift tools aside. He ripped a long, clean strip from his cloak and wrapped her ribs to prevent further damage to them. He then pulled her camisole down and closed the white shirt the best he could.

Her thigh wasn't half as bad. He bandaged it with more off of his cloak and, after draping the black cape over her, he stood. There had to be some dry wood left in this forest.

Sasuke departed into the gathering storm and was erased in the snow's mirage. This place could be mistaken for a lone rock quarry in the middle of a forest at one glance. But, in truth, its formation was far from man made. It was the remnants of an underground cave that's roof had fallen in long ago. The area dipped into the earth and in the summer Sasuke had seen rain water gather here, replacing this quarry with a small lake.

The tree's that had grown inside this dip were not as covered in snow as the ones at a higher elevation.

Sasuke came back into the cave with an armful of sticks and twigs. His white shirt was closed, barely opening at the collar. The black long sleeved shirt came up his neck and encircled it closely. His breath was calm and slow, even in this exhausting weather.

He placed the branches on the ground and lit a small ember under it. The fire protested. It didn't want to light in an environment where it would be fated to smother out. He tried numerous times. Sasuke's patience toward the defiant flames was wearing thin. Then a small flicker of light cast a shadow into the walls. He smirked and fed it some twigs before he sat between it and the opening of their shelter. The cave itself was a pocket between boulders. It wasn't at all easy to build a fire here because there were multiple cracks between combined boulders where the wind slipped through. Still, it was the best one could find in a snow storm.

Sasuke watched the flames try to grow. It was going too slowly.

Sakura pulled her body into a ball and began to shiver. Just as her wounds were leaving her alone, another obstacle popped up like it had been waiting for her. The temperatures were more than enough to finish her off.

The shinobi observed as she fought the cold. Her strength was hardly up to par to combat Mother Nature.

The man walked over to her yet again and touched her arm. It was ice cold. With a sigh, he picked her up and went closer to the developing fire. He held her with the cloak wrapped around her like a blanket. He could use his body heat to warm her until the fire picked up.

Up close like this, Sasuke noticed something strange. There was chakra flowing away from Sakura's head. That was something he had been very curious about. If this was Sakura, where was that obnoxiously colored hair he remembered?

He watched the access chakra on her head flowed away to heal her minor cuts. The dark color of her hair started to drain like ink washed away by rain. Sasuke was caught off guard by what happened next.

At least an inch of her hair out from the roots was a light, perky, and annoying bubblegum pink.

Sasuke was speechless. He wanted to reach up and check to see if it was real but his hand was trapped under her back. Sasuke felt the shadows of a laugh boil up inside at the sight but quickly shoved it back down.

He sighed. "To waste chakra in such a trivial way…" The fire was much larger now. It crackled and shadows danced all around. He moved to the side and smirked as he leaned against the stony wall with the woman sitting on his lap. "You're hopeless."

The storm outside was picking up. The snow and wind wailed over the mouth of the cave.

It wasn't about to ease up, either.

Sasuke couldn't linger much longer. Even though he knew where Naruto was going he would miss his chance to run into the Akatsuki if he delayed any more.

His thought drifted to his brother. Did he also know where Naruto was going? No, he assured himself, if the Akatsuki had known they wouldn't have been waiting for him in Grass Country. Sakura wouldn't be in this critical condition.

A small hand gripped his shirt and tugged at him. Sasuke looked down at the woman in his lap and saw shimmering tears. Her eyes were shut tightly and short sobs shook her form. She was crying in her sleep.

Sakura whimpered. "Sasuke…"

The shinobi stared in bewilderment. A strong breeze infiltrated the cave, and her body rippled under him. He pulled her in closer.

The nightmare that plagued her seemed to face and a dreamlike state immersed her. Sasuke flinched as her head nuzzled into the crook of his neck. Her breath was warm on his shoulder.

Sakura's body was still feeble and cold. But being feeble didn't mean she was light. The weight of her life in his hands was ever present. She was so near death and her body was so frigid she seemed ready for the grave.

But his arms were wrapped around her, keeping her away from winter's grip. Death could not have her yet. She had people waiting for her. She still had life left to live.

She couldn't die yet.

* * *

You all can't understand how much I wanted to return your reviews that said "Does Sasuke ever figure out that Sakura is Akane?"

I wanted to scream "_YesYesYesYes!_"

It was so hard to keep a secret… You're predictions were so true to what I wanted. I can't believe it worked out!

The most amazing guesses were from: xX-Arianna-hime-Xx, NeoRyu (You're review from Ch8 makes me happy), and Christina (Not quite, but close enough :3). You all made me giggle…

I was going insane for half of the time. It was _really_ hard keeping Sasuke in character but still holding in all of the indirect fluff I love so much. I'm glad I've passed that obstacle…

This was a really hard chapter to write. I broke my back over this thing so be happy and review!

Next Chapter – TBA

IAmNotANut


	12. The Sound Base

Thank goodness _Cats_ is over! It was a wonderful musical and I miss it dearly, but I don't think I would have survived much longer without a little writing in my life. I forgot how much I live for acting… I'll definitely miss it, but now I can catch up on writing and my homework.

Playlist: To The End (My Chemical Romance), Now Or Never (Three Days Grace).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

The Sound Base

* * *

_Team Kakashi,_

The gray peaks were no longer hidden behind cumulus clouds. The storm was over and the sun was showing its shameful face.

_We ran across where Genma's team was attacked. There were clear signs of a struggle but there wasn't a corpse to be seen. We searched further north, following their trail, and found the remnants of a fire under the snow. At first we assumed to be from a campfire but the size was too out of proportion. After investigating further we found the ashes made from human flesh scattered around, but we have yet to identify who it is._

The day was ending. One man pleaded with the sun not to set. He knew what would happen as soon as the day's light left him. He understood that when the sun died, so would his resolve. He would loose control.

_Our luck in Rain didn't improve. They must have been closely followed because their tracks disappeared for a while. We went blind for days. And then our team had personal obstacles when we wandered too close to Earth Country's border. _

He knew the world would end when the sun hid behind the horizon. In any other world the departing of clouds would have brought light. But now they only served to reveal the true despair of the situation.

_But when we were headed for Rain's border into Earth country when I received a message from Tsunade…_

There had to be another path to follow.

_Kakashi, I know it is hard to accept._

There had to be another hint.

_I don't want to say it, but the tracks have ended and we have no other clues._

They couldn't give up on Sakura. He couldn't repeat the past. He was responsible for her. She was his to protect.

_The storm threw us off. And I'm sure your trail has disappeared by now._

There had to be another lead. Sakura… He had to see her alive again. Hope couldn't die like that, undignified, silently into the night.

_There is no sight of Sakura anywhere and there is no more that we can do. _

Anger grew inside him. _Don't say these words. Don't tell me these things!_ The cost of hope had been too great. He _had_ hoped. He had wished that she was still alive, and now he had to pay for it. The agony that welded up within him boiled to the brim. He was about to rip at the seams. All of the things that he had wanted to avoid had eventually caught up to him. Believing in an improbable future had been his downfall. The pain was too much.

_Tsunade has given us orders…_

His eyes narrowed. His fists were clenched, his legs pushed harder and harder on the tree branches he flew through. They could break under him at any moment and he would fall to the ground. As if he hadn't already. He had fallen into a pit he couldn't climb out of.

_I am sorry, Kakashi._

He could hear Kurenai's soft voice, trying to comprehend what he was feeling.

She wasn't even close.

_Go home._

An infuriated cry echoed amongst the snow and the mountains quivered at the anguish. His eyes wanted to shut and turn from a fate that was too sad. But instead he was forced to witness. He was forced to relive old, forgotten pains.

He couldn't save any of the people that were most precious to him. Nothing had changed. He couldn't save his father. He couldn't save his friends. He couldn't save his pupil from a devil's grasp… And now, Sakura…

It was all over. There would be no happy reunion. There would be no tears of joy. Sakura was lost in the storm. He was left empty and alone. All that remained was a bitter ending and more ache for his dying heart.

* * *

There was a large plain, kissed by the setting sun, covered in snow. There were few trees but it was more like a desert than the softly rolling hills of Grass Country. The entrance to Orochimaru's base was almost invisible to the wandering eye.

But Tobi's sight would never overlook anything. He could see a crimson chakra within the cavern-like maze that was hard to ignore.

It wasn't that chakra that worried him. The Kyuubi's chakra was a familiarity. He had ventured inside that darkness once before. But it was the unidentified chakra moving towards him that drew on his interest.

The sinister purple chakra making its way to the base was foreign, yet fit in perfectly with the shadows of Orochimaru's dead wasteland.

He could even see a similarity in this presence compared to his own. Another Uchiha?

"What an intriguing guest."

A raspy chuckle rang in the air as Tobi vanished into a whirling cloud of smoke.

* * *

Sasuke noticed the suspicious person disappear from his view. He knew that it had to be one of the Akatsuki after considering the aura of hostility around them.

As Sasuke crossed the threshold he felt Naruto moving below him. The dobe was hardly inconspicuous. No wonder the Akatsuki had found him so easily. What seemed curious to him was that there was only _one_ shinobi in the area. The Akatsuki must have had great confidence in this individual's power. Sasuke doubted that anyone, however, could subdue Naruto when he was on a rampage like this.

As he walked further he saw where the jinchuuriki had made his entrance. Snow had been blown away from the cracks gashes in the ground that Naruto had made. Sasuke followed the skid marks up to the mouth of the snake's lair.

He had never expected to step inside of it again. When he had left with Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo he had thought this part of his life was over. A rank smell crawled from the cave like an animal. It encircled him. It was the smell of death. Without realizing it Sasuke sucked in what seemed like his last breath of clean air and took the plunge.

The cave was pitch black. Sasuke was accompanied only by his echoing footsteps. Occasionally he heard the rumble of his old teammate breaking through a wall in the distance. But with his chakra suppressed, he could go in under the radar and get to the corpse before the wild demon.

The torches that once lined the walls were cold and useless. Instead Sasuke lit a small fire in his hand. Even if he couldn't see any further than five feet in front of him, his memory would suffice. Orochimaru's quarters were deep inside the winding passages where no intruder could find them and, with his senses being occupied by the putrid smell, Naruto would take a while to find the room.

As he took another turn the stench intensified. His memory, as reliable as it was, had forgotten that the path to Orochimaru took him through Kabuto's laboratories.

He stepped into the room and his fire shimmered green in the tainted water capsules stationed to the side. Bodies floating in them quickly pushed away Sasuke's gaze. Broken glass on the ground glittered and he spotted a broken tank. A limb was slung over the edge. The pale, wrinkled skin appeared like it would ooze off the bone and a dark stain on the floor caught his attention. There was the figure of a child, curled on the ground, blue flesh tainted with red-brown stains that peeled off of old wounds.

These bodies weren't rotten yet. Sasuke briefly wondered why, but from the lack of inhumanity and destruction he assumed that it wasn't Naruto's doing. Who else could have come this far so recently?

Orochimaru's room was near. Sasuke gladly passed out of the rooms of destroyed technological and surgical equipment, and out of abandoned test subjects' tomb.

Naruto was getting closer sooner than Sasuke had expected and his time was running short.

With a quicker pace, the Uchiha entered the resting place of the Sannin. He held out his flame and enlarge it. Sasuke face became disgusted by the sight of two large, empty sockets stared at him blankly. The white skeleton was complex, the mess of the rib bages cages from smaller serpents and the remains of skins were wound to form one snake.

Sasuke stepped closer to see the rest of what he had killed.

His expectation turned into alarm when the body, which he had left almost whole, had been split down the middle. There were no stains on the skins were this hole was. It had happened long after death. Sasuke's eyes whirled red and he searched for the sleeping Hachibi's chakra. There was nothing there but a mutilated body. Someone had beaten him to the punch.

If his luck hadn't been any worse, the demon chakra roaming the halls of Orochimaru's base was coming steadily closer. Sasuke turned away from the body and let his mind drift in the time he had left before the jinchuuriki discovered him.

Whoever had taken the sword had been waiting for Naruto to come out again. It had been the Akatsuki, without a doubt. It was even clearer that someone had known exactly where the Kusanagi no Tsurugi was hidden and was possibly be able to take down a jinchuuriki wasn't a push over.

"_S…Sasuke…_" Sasuke's brief thoughts were abruptly stopped by a duet of voices. One was deep and spiteful while the other sounded tired and raspy.

The shinobi slowly looked to what stood at the entrance of Orochimaru's chambers and saw enraged glowing eyes stare at him from shadows. These eyes drifted to the body. After seeing it the glare snapped back to Sasuke.

"_Give me the Kusanagi…_"

Sasuke took on a relaxed position and called mockingly. "Are you lost, Naruto?" A smirk was the last thing Naruto saw on the Uchiha's face before the fire was extinguished from his hand.

The jinchuuriki's growl shook the ground and he tackled his old companion in the dark.

"Hn." The man shoved the demon away with ease and there not another sound. They were lost to the pitch black.

Then, in the darkness, lightening sparked. White light blinded them both but, suddenly able to see again, Naruto dove forward. There was chakra spinning in the demon's hand, condensing in seconds. Sasuke smirked and had an interesting sense of déjà vu as the two energies collided.

The blast sent shockwaves through the earth and the ceiling above them crumbled. The sunset was upon them once more and both emerged a good distance from each other after being blown apart. Naruto crouched there, his tails whipping around behind him.

Sasuke knew that he would have to go into stage two of his curse seal to break his opponent. Yet, with the Sharingan activated, he felt as though there was another level he hadn't attained. It was as though his hand hadn't been fully extended.

The Kyuubi roared and leapt at him again. This aggression wasn't Naruto's. This puppetry had gone on long enough. Sasuke refused to fight Naruto with this demon ruling over his consciousness.

His eyes swirled anxiously.

The Sharingan focused and unfocused curiously. His eyes readjusted and suddenly he could see a light coming out of the jinchuuriki. It was a soft light, it was Naruto. With the mere thought of recovering the original Naruto, Sasuke felt himself being thrown at his attacker even faster.

Their bodies were about to collide but Sasuke himself felt like he was floating in dead air. He waited to crash into the jinchuuriki but found that he no longer stood at the Sound Base.

Sasuke was in a dark chamber, shaded a lifeless green, alone. He looked around at the numerous doors and piping all around him. But his attention, his Sharingan that was glowing brightly, could only see the thick bars towering over him. A pool of red expanded and contracted calmly behind the bars.

Sasuke reached out to the cage doors. An unknown feeling bubbled beneath his skin. It felt like this place, this place deep inside the beast, was connected to him.

He could feel Naruto, ever so faintly within the cage, and when his hand touched the door the worn seal holding it closed pealed away without resistance and fell to the ground. Sasuke stared at it in wonder and reached to pick it up. As his fingers brushed the paper, the doors swung wide and allowed him to enter. Sasuke left the paper, already forgotten, and stepped into the shadows.

Sasuke's senses began to wean. The only thing he was certain of were the swirling colors of blue and red chakra within the darkness. Naruto was near.

_"I have given you power. I have given you life! Your life belongs to me! This prison, your body… I can achieve freedom with this body! Accept what you are, boy… You are the Kyuubi. Let me out."_ Sasuke could see the glowing eyes ahead of him. It was lighter there, he could see shapes. One loomed over the other and a power struggle of chakra raged between them.

_"Let me out!" _The red chakra flared.

The Uchiha's steps were heavy. The further in he went, the harder it became. Still, an ancient cry from within moved his feet forward.

Sasuke could see blue in the crimson haze as it took shape. Naruto was encased in a gentler light that swirled with protective energy. The shinobi was curled into the smallest form possible; the white orb was collapsing under the Kyuubi's rage.

_"Let. Me. Out!!"_ the Kyuubi's claws encircled Naruto and prepared to crush the opposing chakra.

Suddenly Sasuke's legs flexed and he found himself flying at them. He jumped in-between and his hands sliced through the chakras, creating a gap.

The Kyuubi drew back out of pain and roared with frustration. The broken ties flapped in the air, desperate for reattachment.

Sasuke glared at him. "You will not get out." No sign of a smirk was present, not that could it have lessened the hatred seething in his words.

Kyuubi crawled closer and Sasuke responded with a step backward toward the entrance of the prison. The white orb floating behind him was beginning to grow again. Naruto began to uncurl.

The Kyuubi saw this and with an outraged cry the bijuu dove for his container. The head of the fox weaved through the air, fire following its path like the body of a snake. Sasuke leapt back but couldn't get away fast enough; a giant flaming claw swatted him to the ground.

The Kyuubi landed above Sasuke, eyes blazing madly. _"This is my body! It is mine!"_

The Sharingan whirled. Sasuke pushed his way up and leveled his sight with the beast, murderous intent reflected in both pairs of eyes. "Naruto is not a demon. This is not your body." The Kyuubi was stuck to the whirling Sharingan.

_"It is… mine-"_

"You are a beast cursed to remain in this cage…" Sasuke reached into the fire and flames to place his fingers against the Kyuubi's nose, his skin sizzled against the poison-like chakra. Even though the Kyuubi felt threatened by Sasuke's touch, he could not retreat from the swirling tomoe. "You will remain in this cage… in silence." Sasuke's voice was worn, his hand shook slightly. But instead of loosening his hold, Sasuke gripped the Kyuubi tighter.

The beast flinched.

The Uchiha's eyes narrowed. "You will not get out."

His fist closed on the bijuu's face and it was like bursting a balloon. An explosion of red chakra sent an ear-bursting wave through the cage and the Kyuubi gave one last outcry before dissipating into blobs of chakra. They hit the floor like debris. Sasuke exhaled and looked up at the remaining chakra. The pieces continued to bubble and gradually they began to melt into a liquid again, slinking back to the furthest reaches of the cage.

Sasuke watched. His hand was still frozen in the form of a fist. At first his body didn't respond when he willed it to move. It still senced the danger from the retrating chakra. His body forced him to wait until the last of the crimson chakra vanished. Then he was allowed to release.

Sasuke took a step back. He was panting softly. Behind him he heard something hit the floor and he turned to face Naruto, curled near the exit of the demon's cage with what appeared like shattered, white glass all around him. The chakra orb sizzled quietly before evaporating into nonexistence.

The Sharingan whirled to black again as Sasuke walked to his old teammate. The jinchuuriki was shaking, sweat had gathered on his forehead and he twitched occasionally as if having a bad dream.

"Naruto…"

The boy didn't respond.

Then the standing shinobi sighed and bent down to pick him up. Sasuke's arm wrapped around Naruto's waist and he hauled the blond onto his shoulder. Without much difficulty, he carried him out of the cage with one glance back, he saw the doors shut and looked down at the withered seal. It remained on the ground, untouched. His legs flexed as he prepared to pivot to return the paper back to its rightful place but a small beam of light shot out ahead of him. He hadn't noticed the cold in that space until the contrasting warmth touched him. He watched the light grow. It was like sunlight through a cloud and it began to get brighter and brighter.

Sasuke was soon blinded by it and he felt Naruto's weight leave him. With a sigh, the world turned white.

…

"Naruto…"

A voice called him.

"Naruto… They're waiting for you." With a cloudy mind he listened obediently. It was like he no longer controlled his own thoughts.

"S-Sasuke…" He felt lightheaded.

"Kakashi and Sakura… They're worried about you. Go back to Konoha."

The voice was fading.

"Sa…" Naruto's weak hand stretched out, sightlessly searching for Sasuke. "Sasuke, wait…!" Onyx iris met crystalline blue. Tears made the shinobi's sight blurry.

As the shaking hand reached out Sasuke didn't recoil. "Go home." He said. A small smirk appeared. "Sakura's waiting for you… Baka."

He was gone.

…

The jinchuuriki stirred. Even though the earth was cold he felt a heat cover him. The ghost of the Kyuubi still encircled him.

There was a strange pulse inside of him, separate from his heartbeat. It was like a secret initiative that was foreign to his body. He heard Sasuke's voice echo in his head, commanding but soft. His thoughts were full of Sakura, waiting for him like always. He imagined her after his years of absence. Had she missed him? From what he had seen through Sasuke's eyes… he could see her concerned eyes and caring voice calling him home. She called his name.

Sasuke's commands melded into Sakura's sweet voice and it forced him to stagger upward. It made his body move on, toward the rising moon. Towards home.

…

The vast field of lifeless land stretched along the horizon. It looked calm. But underneath was a place that had housed death. It had housed pain and regret. It symbolized everything that Orochimaru had aimed for. This place was a curse to any who entered. No one would ever enter again.

Darkness was creeping deep inside of Sasuke. This evil that resonated in the very earth had made it rise up again. It called for its release. It called for control. His curse mark burned. Black flames tried to sprout from it but he wouldn't allow it.

Sasuke clenched his fist at his side, careful to not crush the item concealed by his sleeve. His body ached with exhaustion.

"You will never have control." He let the object he held slid down until he grasped it by his fingertips. It was an explosive tag. "This place…" Sasuke turned from the base and lifted the thin paper. "I will never look onto this place again, I promise you…" He formed a hand seal with the paper trapped in his fingers and with a small spark of chakra the black lines on the paper turned red. "…just as you will never again see the light of day." The white field behind him was suddenly lit and bursts of noises shook the forest like a firecracker.

Earth flew into the air and the horror beneath the snow was overturned. There were colors in the sky again. Reds, Oranges, Whites… the explosions granted the sky a second sunset. Smoke slithered up and the ground moaned painfully as the hideout was enveloped in fire.

Sasuke didn't look back.

Even though most people wouldn't ever know about the terror they had been saved from and even though many wouldn't know that the source of their cursed existence was destroyed… A shadow, without acknowledgment, had been erased.

As the world came to silence, the Sound Base was no more.

* * *

Tobi was leaning against the trunk of a tree far to the west. His black hair bristled in the cold and he observed the smoke rising above the trees. Gradually the Kyuubi's chakra faded into the south and he chuckled.

"The Kyuubi is unattainable for the time being… It seems as thought I have been beaten at my own game." He smiled behind the orange mask. His cloak flared in the blustery winds and the red clouds danced excitedly.

Tobi pushed off of the tree and leapt to another where he could see the remnants of fire in the sky. He could easily imagine who had done this.

"You have lost your handle on a valuable asset, Orochimaru… it is fitting to find that it was an Uchiha that stripped you of your power, however…" The Akatsuki member allowed his Sharingan eye to shut against the dry air.

Tobi exhaled roughly. His hand grasped a nearby branch to steady himself. His grip on his consciousness was close to slipping.

"Hn." He straightened his stance angrily. Then, after reassuring his control, he sped off into the growing night. His thoughts went back to the one responsible for his target's escape. The dark chakra that had brought on his interest had long since vanished from his sight. He could laugh again at the thought. "There still seems to be power left undiscovered within the Uchiha brothers…"

* * *

Tobi makes me giggle. I have a strange fascination with the little ninja, but I'm not quite sure if I like him or not (It's an ongoing love/hate relationship, you might say.)

I have some anime/manga suggestions for you all: Hana Kimi, Beauty is the Beast, Vampire Knight (Amazing!), Blood+, Shinobi Life, and so on… check out my profile for more suggestions. (The best sight I can recommend for manga is manga-dot-com. Fanfiction doesn't like websites on the documents, so please insert a period where it says -dot-...)

Next Chapter - Lost

Ja mata ne!

IAmNotANut


	13. Lost

Playlist: Birthday (Taproot), Lost (Michael Bublé).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Lost

* * *

The white room was sickening. It was too pure. It was too perfect. What was hidden beneath white walls such as these? Death… But it smelt so strongly of medicine that the stench was covered. Lying in that room created a natural uneasiness. The people dwelling in these flawless rooms were tainted. They were dirty, scared, and cold. In these rooms their indecency was reflected upon them like a spot light, showing them the horrors of humanity.

A man stood outside of one of these rooms waiting for the people within to push away their impurities and escape the mesmerizing light. This man's brown hair fell around his face and his eyes. From his lip protruded a thin toothpick.

"Genma." Tsunade stepped out of the room and sat on the bench across from him. Genma didn't move, but he turned to face her.

"What did they say?" His arms were crossed over his chest, his expression guarded.

Her eyes became solemn as they hit the floor. "Do you want to hear this?" Genma nodded slowly and Tsunade sighed. She looked up at him, ready to speak when voices from the room stopped her.

"You're good to go, Ino. But, Kurenai, you should refrain from overexerting yourself for the next few days." Shizune came out of the room with the two kunoichi close behind.

They walked past the Hokage and Genma caught Ino's eye. Her face was blank, her gaze was dead. Even in the momentary passing, Genma could feel the pained waves rolling off of her. It felt like Ino took forever to pass him. Was it because he was suddenly feeling the same way? His stomach dropped.

The moment sped up again and the two were suddenly far past them, leaving Tsunade and Genma alone again. Genma brought his focus to the Hokage again.

Tsunade watched them go out of earshot. "Kurenai and her team found the remnants of Hidaka Akane. Her body had been cremated." Tsunade paused.

His throat tightened slightly. The need of an answer compelled him past his fears. "What of Sakura…"

Tsunade kept looking down the hall to the disappearing shinobi. "Their squad didn't find any signs that Sakura had survived."

Genma's fists clenched. "I see…" The shinobi was close to continuing when a young man appeared from a room further down the hall. His eyes sought out the Hokage and Genma sighed. A distraction was welcome. He needed time to compose how he would respond aloud to this news. He waited, allowing the man and Tsunade's conversation to fade away, and his inquiries burst out at him like a flooded dam.

Sakura was a fool. When had she decided on who lived and died? Why Genma? Why her? What made her stay? What made him listen?

Genma had known from the first day of his miraculous escape that Sakura's survival was unlikely. Even before then he had known that the mission could take lives. That was what ANBU constantly prepared for. They were trained to fight for the success of the mission and nothing else. The black ops. were trained to not get attached to teammates because every one of them could very well die before their eyes. But Sakura had possessed an open disposition and warmth toward her fellow man, no matter how discreet it was, that connected her to every one of them. The life of a black operative had never suited her. Her actions were driven so fiercely by her feelings and, in the medic's eyes, nothing was worth taking another's life.

What had made Tsunade think that Sakura was ready for such an emotionally ruled mission? Even with Akane to keep her on track, Sakura was too wrapped up in thoughts of her old team to achieve their goal. Genma knew that. Tsunade knew that. So why… _why_ had Tsunade given her the assignment?

"Genma, how did you made it back to the border city…?" Tsunade stood with a serious look upon her. The boy had long since gone. "I just want to be sure…"

For a moment Genma was quiet. "I can't remember much of what happened. I've given you the details on what the hotel manager said and witnessed…" Tsunade waited calmly. "I was heavily wounded. Sakura's work on my leg was just a patch up job and it opened easily while I was running. I continued limping on, my body numbed by cold, I steadily began loosing consciousness. I called out on the radio just in case." The Hokage tensed up. "It was Sasuke that answered. He called my name. I don't know whose mic he had taken but… not too long after he was on my trail. I turned to face him, waiting for death. And there he was, calmly walking up to me. That's when I blacked out…" Genma looked at Tsunade's reaction. Doubt and resentment was all he saw. Just the thought of Sasuke made her blood boil. Genma justified for good measure. "I know that I wasn't in a stable mental condition and I was probably seeing things but," Tsunade's hands were clenched. "The manager's description matches."

"Do you honestly believe that…?"

Genma froze. Did he believe that Sasuke saved him? Could he believe that a man driven by revenge would spare a moment for his life?

There were many things he believed. He believed that a person, raised with honor, could make the right choice. He believed that a shinobi that had drifted into darkness could find some kind of light. Akane was proof of that. But, could he really believe that a man with a broken hold on his past could save the people he had abandoned?

Genma pushed off of the wall and let his arms fall to the side. If he was right, what kept him from thinking Sakura was also left with her life? If he was wrong then he and Sakura should _both _be dead.

"Yes… nothing is certain, but… I believe it." He looked to the blond woman. "Sakura is still alive somewhere."

"What makes you think Sasuke would consider saving a Konoha shinobi?" Tsunade turned her back to him to face the hallway. Her voice was suddenly so harsh.

"Because," Genma took a step away from her. "Sasuke is _not _Orochimaru." Tsunade flinched. Then Genma walked off, leaving her behind. He found his way to the stairs and descended blindly.

His words struck a small realization in him. He was sure. He was sure now more than ever that Sasuke wasn't as immoral as everyone made him out to be. Slowly his walking stopped. He stood alone on a concrete platform, trapped in entangling thoughts within the softly echoing space. He knew that Sasuke was behind the cremation of Hidaka Akane. That tradition had been started by the Uchiha Police Force years back and, no matter how misguided he had been, Sasuke was still a shinobi of Konoha. He had not forgotten what the shinobi here had shown him. Genma's body restarted automatically and started moving down the stairs with more confidence. Sasuke didn't kill him and he couldn't kill Sakura. That gave him hope.

The shinobi reached the entry way and said a quick goodbye to the woman at the front desk. He left the hospital to find Kurenai waiting outside. Genma didn't stop his steady pace out the door as the woman hurried to accompany him.

Kurenai didn't speak. She was looking down at Genma's feet, deciding how to start. Genma felt the silence grow more uncomfortable and took the first initiative.

"Shouldn't you be with your son?" The toothpick in his mouth twitched.

Kurenai's red iris softened. "I need to be with Ino right now."

"So where is she?"

He was ignored. "Do you really think that Sasuke didn't kill Sakura?"

"Yes." Kurenai was very skilled to have overheard a conversation three floors up… Genma chuckled.

"Why do you still put your hope in him? There is nothing left of Sasuke, you know that. Orochimaru chewed out all of his emotions; His memories were probably toyed with as well." Kurenai's eyes narrowed. "How could he possibly know to spare her?"

"Then how am I alive?" He retorted evenly. "How did he know my name? How could he tell who I was with my _mask_ still on? Explain that to me, Kurenai." His words were sharp. Genma and the kunoichi found themselves caught in each other's glare. After allowing the tension deflate and drizzle away, Genma faced forward again and finished. "I hope because there is a chance that you're wrong."

"Sasuke is a cold-hearted killer. The facts are against you."

Genma shrugged. "We don't know what could have happened in all of these years. Maybe he's matured a little."

"After all that happened with his family I wouldn't be surprised if he went _insane_."

The man calmly twirled his toothpick. "Well… I think that everyone's a little insane sometimes. He's probably just missing his old home, can you blame him? Look at this place!" He displayed the park with his hand. Winter still covered it but the tall tree where Sakura had stayed was proud and strong, no longer plagued by ice. "This is what I return to… not the booze or women, but _this_." He grinned. "When was the last time Sasuke set out for a drink, I wonder."

"Can you give your fantasizing a rest?" She was loosing her patience.

Genma's eyes flickered to her and his lip twitched. "Yes, in theory." Picking on Kurenai was cheering up his day quite nicely.

Kurenai fumed. Whatever he had to say was childish and unrealistic. He was either very naïve or in denial. Genma in denial seemed more likely. To prevent herself from saying something she'd regret and fall in to his jibes, Kurenai lagged back. When behind him she could calm herself where the sight of his face wouldn't rouse her frustration.

After her mind calmed she approached the problem from anther angle. "You know that it's foolish to hold on to the dead."

He noticed her dark intonation. "You speak from experience."

"Yes," Both recalled her reaction to Asuma's death. "Now Ino has to suffer the same fate I did…"

"You're right. Holding on to the dead is a sure way to go _insane_." Genma shook his head with a sigh. "But I don't think Sakura is dead… And you can't force me to change my mind. We have separate views on this, so let's leave it at that. But if you want to comfort Ino, I suggest you don't relay anything you've told me."

Kurenai turned away. Genma watched her face calm and he placed his hands in his pockets. A chill ran through the air.

Genma continued. "You say it's foolish to hold on to the dead…You also believe that Sakura died a horrible death." His heart tightened at the thought. But his doubt quickly passed. He wouldn't let Kurenai's pessimism become contagious. With a smirk, the man looked to the vacant blue above. "If that's how it is then let Ino keep to the living." Winter was a shadow lingering behind them but the sun hid that cold and its warmth caressed the earth. Genma soaked in the light and took a cleansing breath. "Let the existing memories of Sakura stay with her… and let Ino hope that someday Sakura will come back to be with the living."

Kurenai didn't respond.

"Foolish."

She broke away from him to travel a different road. Genma watched her trudge off, hoping that she was going to visit Ino. Genma knew that Kurenai truly cared for the kunoichi. Even if her ways of persuasion and motivation were cold and painfully honest, she still cared about Ino's happiness.

Genma sighed and absorbed the nature around him. A shinobi hardly had the time to focus only on the scenery around him. He could see that winter still had a ways to go but at times like these, when the sun was shinning bright, he could remember spring. He could keep his hold on the thought that spring was coming and he could make it through the harsh cold of winter. He could hope that the snow would eventually melt and, with the new year, a new light would come to heat the people's frozen hearts. Spring would come. That light was just a teaser. That warmth just gave hope.

And just like spring, Genma just had to hold on to a glimpse of Sakura until the real thing came back.

* * *

A voice spoke to her in her sleep.

Brown hair flowed from under a mask._ "You must have been fighting all of these years, Sakura. You've always believed that Sasuke would come back. You believed that a lost sheep could always find its way back home…" _The remorseful voice came again._ "…I have had my share of lost sheep. Unlike you, I knowingly led them into the wolf's jaws. But, Sakura," _A hand grasped her shoulder. Course fingertips were a strange contrast with the soft, sad voice._ "You have a chance to show them a clear path." _She gave a weak smile._ "Even when they can't hear you. Even when they turn away… You can give them a home to come back to, Sakura… and that is enough."_

…

The feel of rough fingers on her shoulder slowly faded away, overshadowed by ominous warmth on her back. The feeling wrapped around her like a blanket and pulled her close. In this comfort, cold was erased by the night and forgotten by the day.

Sakura dwelled in this in-between world of awake and asleep. This ignorance of the life crumbling around her was a haven for sweet dreams. She could visit the past openly. She could think of the future without even a care for the present.

But this sleep couldn't go on forever. Gradually Sakura was brought out of the dreams by a different heat bearing down on her face.

Her eyes opened and adjusted to the seemingly blinding light before her. She recognized a campfire and found that her eyes were entrapped by the dancing flames. Her heavy lids drooped.

_Lost sheep._

Awareness forcefully pulled her back. It was unnatural to wake that way. Her body didn't know what to think. Reject the dream that woke her or reject the consciousness that lulled her into sleep… For a few moments she couldn't find her heartbeat and her shaking body refused to relax. How could a thought disturb her so?

Pain was clear as soon as she roused. It twisted into her thigh and flared her side. Sakura tried to rise but found it impossible still. With a sigh she waited patiently for her body to wake up and watched the fire before her. Sakura was lucky that it had lasted through the night. If not for it, she could have died of hypothermia.

Minutes passed but the tiredness she felt didn't return. After she was certain that her body could manage to rise she did so. Gently she pulled her arm under her body and moved into a push-up position. She used her good leg to support her as she pivoted on her toe, with a little protest from her side, and prudently lowered herself into a sitting position.

She groaned as she relaxed against the wall. Her side was pulsing with heat and pain that spread all over her body. She touched it and the wound felt feverish. Sakura forced herself to look at it and was surprised and a little disappointed at the bandaging. _Who wraps a wound in dyed cloth?_ She growled quietly. Suddenly her mind caught up with her.

Where was she?

Sakura looked around at the cave and at the cloak she was wrapped in. She noted the torn edges and sighed. _So that's where it came from…_

The cave was dark, even with the numerous holes in the wall that could provide light. She was tempted to crawl to the edge of the cave but refrained with little difficulty. Her body was starting to settle where it was and she didn't want to cause any unnecessary pain.

She saw orange light which bled into the cavern. It was already late in the evening. How long had she been asleep? Sakura turned her head into the dark and groped at her memories for a clue of what had happened to her.

Images of her fight with Deidara flashed in her mind. She could recall running far into the night without ever stopping. She felt like her legs were still pounding from it. The images became fuzzy, they flickered to black. But before it went out entirely Sakura saw one last picture. She saw her own face, cold against the ground with blood oozing all around her; the snow's gentle caress enveloped her. Pain suddenly struck her and the memories shattered.

With a sigh, Sakura placed a hand on her thigh. She put a small fraction of the little chakra she had and felt around the wound. The gash wasn't bleeding very much, which was impressive considering the crude bandaging. She could tell that it was a clean wound. It was headed in the right direction for recovery and if she had any energy in her it would be fixed in a snap. But as it was, it would start gushing if Sakura overexerted herself at all. Overall she was happy with the condition of the wound.

The other injury was a different story entirely.

She gingerly touched the bandaging. It burned under her finger tips. This wound, she could tell without inspecting with chakra, had hardly healed. To get a better look at it she went to lift up her shirt.

It was already open. It had been _cut _open… Sakura noticed the ribbon fragments on the floor around her from the diced shirt. Whoever had "rescued" her clearly had no sense of decency or experience in planning ahead. Whoever it was also ruined a perfectly good shirt.

Aside from her shock, Sakura could now lift her camisole and see the singed tissue showing from under the bandages. She then inserted her chakra and the rough ridges of the wound made her stomach churn. There were two broken ribs on that side, with a quick exploration to the other side she noted that one rib was bruised. Bruising was apparently a reoccurring theme across her torso. Deidara's explosion had done quite a number on her body.

Her chakra was being sapped by the two wounds just to keep the bleeding to a minimum, assuming that was what was leaking out of her burned skin. She couldn't specify by color because of the dark fabric. When she touched the wound to get a sample on her fingers, pain shot through her like an electric current. Her hand reacted, jerking away as she cried out.

Poking that wound at this point was definitely not a smart idea.

After the pain fizzled out and she overcame her wooziness, she lifted her body and pulled her knees under her. Out of fear that that pain would happen again, Sakura moved incredibly slow with as much control she had. She stood.

She walked with soft steps to the mouth of the cave and looked out. The sun was already setting and the orange and red sky leaked in around her. A set of crystal blue eyes clashed beautifully with the display of colors in her mind.

"Naruto…"

How could she have forgotten? Naruto was still in danger. And if the Akatsuki were planning anther attack, Sakura wouldn't do it alone this time. Getting news to Konoha was her first priority. She had to find a town and send a message, but because she had no clue where she was it could be harder than she expected.

A wind whizzed through the cave and Sakura gasped. Quickly, but still with care, she ran back to the fire and grabbed the cloak off of the floor. She turned in over in her hands to find the hood. Her eyes looked lazily over the cloth; she saw the rips in the bottom again and laughed. Whoever had bandaged her up must have been extremely desperate. Then a colored insignia on the back caught her eye.

"It can't be…" She moved the fabric in her hands to get a better look.

Sure enough, there was a small red and white fan, the Uchiha clan's famous symbol right there in her hands. Sakura stared at it. She wasn't sure whether to be happy or remain incredibly confused.

_Sasuke…_

With one last feel of the insignia she whirled the cloak around her and closed it. She knotted her torn shirt as best she could and stepped into the cool air.

…

_"Stay strong for your friends, Sakura." _The sisterly presence showed itself once more._ "No matter how far apart you are from them, you cannot forget to keep your own path clear." _Her voice began to fade into a memory. _"Change as they do… grow as they do so you can protect them from their own demons when they come back to you."_

…

Sakura trudged through the forest floor. She had been following the same frozen stream for three hours hoping for signs of civilization. Her body was throbbing, her leg muscles screamed at her. How had she lived like this all of these years? It felt like she was the most vulnerable person in the world, far from the menacing shinobi she was.

The kunoichi sat on a nearby bolder bordering the water. She looked up at the starry skies. She was tempted to give in to her exhaustion but the frozen night was her worst enemy at the moment. Her only chance of living was to keep moving.

Her stomach growled obnoxiously. Sakura couldn't remember the last time she ate. She estimated that it had been two days since she gulped down two skinny snow rabbits before her fight with Deidara. The hares were so underfed, however, that they could hardly count as a sturdy meal. Continuing, she had been away from Sasuke only a day but they hadn't stopped to eat before they separated. She hadn't eaten substantial food for three days. _Three days._

Sakura forcer her self to forget her hunger and walked onward. Minutes passed slowly as the woman hummed to herself. Her feet were growing numb and her fingers were trapped in a curled position in an attempt to stay warm and were in the folds of Sasuke's cloak. To add to these pleasures, it began to hail.

"Damn cold. Damn leg. Damn stomach. Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn." She growled as frozen rain pounded down on her and soaked her through.

Just when she was about to surrender and give dying in the snow a try, lo and behold, there were lights glowing behind the silhouettes of trees. They weren't the stars or the moon, glistening above. No, it was better than that.

It was a town.

Sakura found new life in her, just enough to run into the clearing where the lit houses were. Immediately she recognized the architecture. It was very similar to that of Konoha. Her hopes were confirmed, she had made it safely into Fire Country.

After wobbling pathetically through the streets, Sakura found a homey inn.

The front desk was empty. _They're probably all asleep by now…_ Sakura gave a quick glance around before walking behind the desk and taking a pair of keys and the spares that she saw in that room's cubby. She had no money and she had no patience to attain any so she would just have to manage one night in this inn before vanishing again. A message to Konoha couldn't wait for more than a day, anyway.

She walked quietly up the stairs, hopefully no one would wake up to her heavy footfalls. Dangling from the ring of keys was the number 214. Two hundred, fourteen. The room was not to far down the hall and when she finally reached it she held her breath. The key slowly slid into the lock and clicked. The doorknob turned and….

A shrill squeak erupted behind her. Sakura froze. Had she just hurried a little, had she not have limped to the door, had she taken five seconds off of her walk that damned squeak wouldn't have made her turn around.

There standing down the hall, not five feet from her, was a small girl with her hand clasped over her mouth. They stared at each other, baffled at _why_ the other was there.

Then the little girl took in a deep breath and bellowed in the hall. "INTRU-"

Sakura grabbed the tiny thing and placed a hand across her mouth before she could finish. The shinobi looked around for a moment, unsure of what to do. But the gaping door of her stolen room coaxed her in and Sakura carried the little girl under her arm.

The child's ebony curls bounced as Sakura rushed in and, once inside, Sakura sat the child on the small bed with her hand still blocking her mouth. The girl was clearly terrified. Sakura sighed. That kid deserved to be scared out of her wits for being up so late.

Regardless, Sakura looked her straight in the eye. She used the kindest and gentlest voice she had left. "I'm not going to hurt you… I didn't know anyone would be up this late… You see, I have no money to pay for a room and I need a place to stay just for tonight."

The little girl said nothing.

"I'm going to stay for one night, and then I'll leave, okay?"

The little girl said nothing.

"Can I stay here?"

Sakura removed her hand slowly. The little girl sat there, staring at her with big grey eyes. Sakura tried to smile but it seemed a little too forced.

"Y-our scary." The little girl hadn't blinked yet as if Sakura would kill her in a flash if she even thought of looking away.

Sakura's stomach twisted. That expression made her feel horrible. Why did someone have to be in the halls just when she was walking in!?

"Please don't k-kill me." The child whimpered.

Sakura sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm sorry I grabbed you and that you're afraid but I promise its okay. I'm just trying to get home." The woman stepped away from the girl and stood against the wall, giving her room to breath.

Tension between them didn't settle.

She wanted to assure the child somehow that it was okay. Sakura couldn't stand that look of terror on the girl's face. "I'm… Have you heard of a village called Konoha? I'm… I'm from there. I'm a… doctor from there." She had never felt so helpless.

Gradually, after much deliberation, the girl countered. "Prove it."

Sakura smiled. Proof… proof… she had to have something. Her headband engraved with the Konoha leaf would have been a quick way to comfort the kid but it had been missing for a while, probably taken by Hebi to keep away suspicion while traveling. She was thinking on her feet and, while impossibilities came and went, she remembered another way. Sakura quickly removed the cloak and her white shirt. A tingling pain went through her when she bumped into her ribs but Sakura stifled it. She walked up to the girl and presented her ANBU tattoo on her arm. "I'm in the ANBU of Konoha. You've seen this on people before right?

The swirling black mark entranced the girl and she stared at it intently. She placed a hand to her chin and hummed.

"Hmm… I don't know…" She looked from the tattoo to Sakura's pleading face and back, then finally hopped off the bed. She stood, staring up at Sakura. "I believe you."

Sakura relaxed her shoulders. She was greatly relieved to no longer be a terror.

The girl pondered and observed Sakura for a moment. "But you need a bath."

"What?"

"You're face is dirty and… you smell." She admitted while looking to the side.

Sakura was suddenly aware of herself. She felt something crusted on her face and in her hair, which she assumed was blood. Also she realized that the chakra from her hair had been drained away. Her clothes were tattered past repair and matted to her body with sweat and water from the sleet.

"I do need a bath."

The child smiled and yipped happily. "I'll help!"

Sakura suddenly closed the girl's mouth again. "Shhhhhhh!" They stared at each other, both utterly still. "No too loud, okay?" She took away her hand. "We don't want to wake anyone up."

"Hai, onee-chan." She saluted stiffly. Then the child ran to the bathroom, grabbing Sakura's hand on the way. She dragged the kunoichi and sat her down on the edge of the tub. "Hands above your head, onee-chan." The girl demonstrated by flinging her arms up.

Sakura was confused, but followed orders. Then suddenly the girl grabbed the hem of her camisole and pulled up, jabbing Sakura's side with her tiny fingers. Sakura gasped in pain and held back a scream as she tumbled backward into the empty tub.

The girl was startled. She stood there, her hands over her head, looking curiously at the fallen woman. "Nani, onee-chan?" Slowly she pulled her hands down. There was red on her fingertips. She jumped and ran to Sakura's side, helping her get out of the tub. "What happened? You're bleeding!"

"Shhhh! Shhhh… I'll do _that_ on my own, okay? Just give me a second." Sakura groaned quietly and rubbed her head that had just slammed into the wall. She looked down at the girl who was holding her hands out. Sakura saw the blood and quickly wiped if off on a clean part of her pants leg. "What's your name?"

"Misaki-chan!" She gave a large smile. "Ne, ne, what's onee-chan's name?"

"Sakura."

The girl seemed a little more comfortable after properly greeting each other.

Suddenly Sakura's arm caught her interest. "Sugoi!" Misaki reached up with her small hand and traced the numerous scars on it. The kunoichi watched her and once her interest drifted to the bandaging on her leg, Sakura removed the little hands from her and starting to unwrap her leg wound. "Misaki, I'm hurt and it's not going to be very pretty. I want you to look away."

The girl shook her head. "But, I want to help…"

"Please go outside."

"But, onee-" Sakura's firm look finally convinced her. "I'll be right out here, okay?" She smiled at Sakura before disappearing out the door.

As soon as it shut Sakura went on pulling away at the black cloth to reveal the open wound. Blood had caked the bandage to her skin and she winced while getting off the rest. Sakura looked around and saw neatly folded towels on a shelf above the sink. She grabbed one and turned on the water. The pipes groaned in the walls as water came out.

Sakura looked around, a little wary of how much noise it was making.

"Can anyone hear that?" She spoke through the door.

Misaki's small voice responded. "No. It won't wake anyone up."

Sakura sighed and folded the towel. She placed it under the water. It was freezing cold. Cold was best for a wound. The circulation would slow down and, in turn, the bleeding as well. Then after squeezing out the extra water she placed it to her leg and hissed through her teeth at the stinging.

Sakura exhaled and ignored the annoying sensation and called Misaki. "Do you have any clean bandages?"

She heard Misaki pushed off of the door. "Hai. I'll get some."

The kunoichi sighed and grabbed more towels. She placed them beside the tub and slid down into it. She tied the wet cloth in her hand around her thigh. With a deep breath she turned her attention to the other wrapping. She untied and carefully removed them.

After taking one look at that wound, Sakura declared that it would take much more effort to clean.

…

Sakura woke in the hotel room after barely sleeping. She had worked on her injuries for most of the night and after getting a scavenged dinner (technically, breakfast) from Misaki, not long after she was forced into bed by the 6 year-old.

The hotel room was full of blue light from the morning's rise outside. Sakura touched her side. The swelling had decreased almost to the norm and Sakura had cut off all of the dead skin dangling around it, so it actually looked decent. The pain still existed and her ribs were incredibly sensitive. Her leg was hardly noticeable on comparison.

Taking on a steady pace, Sakura threw back the covers and rose from the bed. She walked to the empty dresser under the mirror to retrieve the clothes Misaki had laid out for her the night before. She put them on then inspected herself in the mirror.

Her highlighter pink hair was the most noticeable thing but Misaki had brought her a toboggan to wear over it. Her shirt was almost too large but she allowed it. The pants were just her size. However, they went past her feet but after tucking them into her _dry_ boots, it all looked just fine. Sakura gazed over at what lie across the chair beside her. Sasuke's cloak was ratty and probably still wet. All the same, Sakura took it and wrapped it around her shoulders. She pulled up the hood and looked at the tired expression staring back at her through the mirror.

Misaki had gone back to her parent's room. They just so happened to _own _the hotel. Because of this Misaki was able to relay some important information. The cook was the first to wake up at 5 to begin preparing breakfast. Then her parents and the other staff members would open up the hotel at 5:30. The guests would start moving around at 6 if not earlier. If Sakura didn't get out before 5:30 it would be impossible to get out of without paying up. That or she could jump out the window and escape that way if things became too complicated. But with this inside intelligence Sakura planed to make an easy get away.

Sakura made the bed and rechecked the room for any evidence of her stay. When she was sure there weren't any blood stains (save for the towels which had become unusable for all eternity), she was able to leave the room.

Sakura walked down the stairs again and peeked around the corner, just in case. Then she silently slid behind the counter and placed her keys back.

Finishing with an inaudible "thanks" to Misaki, Sakura left the inn.

* * *

The morning was alive with sound. The trees were restless from the hail storm the night before and they swayed, hoping to shake off any ice left behind. There were footsteps echoing within the woods. Some were not weakened or slowed by the cold.

Kakashi was silent. The world around him seemed colder than ever. The opaque gray above cast a sense of failure over him. He could not accept failure. Even thought the order had already been given by Tsunade, Kakashi had his dogs on alert a mile out in every direction. If there was a scent of Sakura anywhere in these woods, they would find it. Because of this, any sound remotely close to a bark made the shinobi's head turn.

"Kakashi-sempai…" Chouji approached him. "We're close to home."

The masked man didn't acknowledge him. He simply stared ahead. Kakashi wanted to say he would stay behind. He wanted to say that they had given up too soon. But Tsunade's word was law.

_"I will never let my comrades die."_

His own words spited him. He still had a companion in this freezing weather somewhere. It was so similar to what happened in his past. The fear of repeating it haunted him.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru sped up to run beside Hinata.

"Check again."

Hinata nodded and the veins around her eyes bulged. She searched every nook and cranny of the forest spread before them. Sakura was no where to be found. She felt guilty. She knew that her teammates had chosen her to go along with them because of her Byakugan but she had let them down. She didn't want her team to give up. Hinata knew how important Sakura was to Naruto and Kakashi. The kunoichi gave the area one last scan before her eyes returned to normal.

"S-sorry, Shikamaru-kun."

The shinobi sighed and fell back to be beside Kakashi.

"There is no one here out there but villagers and ANBU." He stated lazily. "We're almost at Konoha. You should go ahead and call back your nin dogs."

"They'll come back on their own." The man looked up, his uncovered eye appeared calm as if waiting for something and body language was aloof. But Shikamaru could see right through. Kakashi was trying his best to contain himself, it seemed. He was still waiting for a sigh.

After a moment of staring each other down Kakashi's head snapped up. Shikamaru was shocked, to say the least, and he followed Kakashi's gaze to the west.

"What is it?"

Kakashi held up his hand to stop his team. They all froze. The silver haired man watched the west to where his nin hound might have sent for him. Akamaru's heads turned as well. There was something calling faintly on the winds. He barked and bumped Kiba's side.

Then a second howl shot through their ears, loud and clear.

Kakashi needn't say another word. That was all the motive he required to turn around and go.

* * *

Sakura was beginning to remember how to get home. The sooner she got there the better. She had fatigued sooner than expected and after finding that the small town had no way to contact Konoha, she left in a hurry. The gash on her thigh was not coping with the traveling and her body hadn't recovered from her exhaustion like she had wanted. Her hopes were beginning to rise up until her leg reopened. And because of her need to conserve strength for the last stretch home, Sakura couldn't sacrifice the chakra necessary to fix it again.

She slowed to a stop and sat on the ground against a tree. She took out a bottle of water she'd swiped before leaving and took a swig. Then the kunoichi placed it aside and pulled up her pants leg. The first thing she noticed was the trickle of red running down her calf. She pulled it up the rest of the way to reveal the bandages soaked through with bright red.

Without her notice, a beast's howl sounded not to far from her. She paid no mind, because, for all she knew, it was just another wild dog in the forest.

She took out spare bandages and a clean cloth Misaki had brought her and put them beside her water bottle. Then she unwrapped her thigh. She poured the cold water onto the cloth and cleaned the skin around it, swiping up her leg to get the last of the blood.

Then, putting the bloody bandages and cloth away, she put in a little of her chakra to form a layer of scared tissue over the wound to stop the bleeding temporarily. She wound the cut shut with the white wrappings and tied it off. She pulled down her pants leg and lifted her shirt to look at the other wound. A red spot was in the middle of the wound but she could go another hour or so without switching bandages.

Sakura gathered her things, excluding the dirty bandages, and began walking again. The morning was becoming brighter and brighter every second. Warmth of the sun on her back reminded her of being in the cave. How had she gotten Sasuke's cloak? Perhaps it was switch when they were together, but could he have possibly saved her? That seemed to be the only explanation for both the cloak and her attended wounds.

The woman walked atop a large fallen log. The snow scattered like powder at her feet. It must have snowed again the night before because the top layer was so light. She carefully balanced on the trunk but could still look up to the trees and absorb the peaceful scenery.

Suddenly barking arose not to far from her. She looked around and saw the shadow of a dog right where she had been sitting. Her bloody bandages were still there.

The dog ran at her with abnormal speed. It closed the 50 foot gap between them in seconds. Then in the shade of the trees it sat and howled.

Sakura stared in wonder at its strange behavior. Then a realization hit her and her adrenaline kick in. It was calling someone. She took a kunai from her pack and gripped it.

A chakra presence appeared behind her. She turned to see yet another shadow in the trees. The dog's howl stopped and Sakura watched from the corner of her eye as it walked closer to her. Then with a quiet poof, it vanished. It _had_ been summoned to track her.

She waited for the person to attack. And there she stood. Her hands were shaking. Her face was pale and covered in a light sweat. Her clothes were oversized and engulfed her. Her toboggan cast a shadow over her viridian eyes. The heat bubbling in her in those layers of clothes was too much. Her heart was going wild.

She heard him breathe in. Sakura tensed up. He stepped toward her out of the shadows and from his mouth came a relieved sigh.

"Sakura."

A chill ran down her. She stared with eyes wide and mouth gaping, the kunai slid out from her fingers and into the snow. She broke out into a run and fell down from the log. She stumbled in the snow and fell into his arms.

She squeezed tightly and, she didn't know why but, suddenly she couldn't stop crying.

"It's okay," He said. "I've got you."

* * *

That is, by far, my favorite line ever! I love Kakashi! This is also my longest chapter ever, have you noticed? …7,291 words… that's crazy man… now it's 7,297.

Now, I can talk about gore all day but, I decided to cut out the scene with Sakura actually cleaning the wound and skipping on to the good parts. If you all want to read it, I'll consider adding it in.

I'm sorry I was late, I got lost on the road of life…

Next Chapter – Home

IAmNotANut


	14. Home

The review count has passed 100 thanks to you all and especially those of you who reviewed chapter 2… I love you! you-broke-a-promise- (fanfiction doesn't like periods sometimes, but there are periods in place of the dashes) was the 100th and 101st review! Thank you so much!

I hope you all are okay with the title Eien no Kessoke because… That is the new name of this Naruto fic.

Playlist: Who Knew (Pink), Clocks (Coldplay), and for the whole Naruto scene (You'll find out what I'm talking about) I would listen to the Knights of Cydonia (Muse).

* * *

Eien no Kessoku

Home

* * *

There was a knot in her stomach. Why was she so nervous? Or was it anxiousness? Maybe it was the fear of being let down. After convincing herself and unraveling her foolish hold on a dream, could it really become a reality?

Tsunade was waiting for an answer. At the gates of Konoha, she stood holding her breath.

A voice on top of the wall made Tsunade jump. "Seven are returning. Open the gate!"

Old gears groaned to life and the heavy doors opened.

Tsunade gripped the hem of her shirt. From a distance she recognized two in the center. There was Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru. Then as the doors opened wider she saw those flanking them Hyuuga Hinata and Akamichi Chouji.

Her pulse was rapidly increasing. The cold air wasn't the only cause of her shaking because then, from the shadows of the great doors the last three appeared.

There was Nara Shikamaru looking to his left where Hatake Kakashi stood with precious cargo on his back.

The Hokage took a step forward but found that she had been frozen. Green eyes settled upon her and a smile broke out on a weary face. Kakashi and the squad walked inside, the giant doors creaked shut, and gathered around Tsunade. The wounded kunoichi dismounted her sensei's back.

Shikamaru sighed. He placed a hand on his hip and muttered passively. "Mission accomplished."

Tsunade couldn't move. She was staring at the woman she had known to be dead. Her mouth opened in an attempt to speak but instead her lips quivered and shut.

It was… It was Sakura.

The kunoichi stepped out of line from her fellow shinobi. "Good to see you, Shishou."

The older woman hesitantly walked up to Sakura and placed her hands on her shoulders. It wasn't a dream. It was really Sakura. A shaky smile tugged at her lips and laughter bubbled in her eyes, which was exposed to the air as a breathy chuckle. Her hand slid up to rest on Sakura's face and the Hokage shook her head in disbelief. Sakura's grin became a toothy smile and she pulled the Hokage into an embrace.

"Welcome back, Sakura."

Tsunade would never let go ever again. She was suddenly ashamed that she had ever doubted Sakura. It was silly to think there could have been a world without her. Never the less, she forced herself to release Sakura from her hug but only moved to put her hands on the kunoichi's forearms.

She inspected her prized pupil, noting her strange clothes. The cloak she wore was tattered and the hat covering her head was in no better shape. The sleek black strands of hair had to have been close to 4 inches longer than the last time she saw Sakura. Sakura's absence had been so prolonged. Her tired expression and shadow filled eyes showed how time had strained her. Time wasn't the only reason, however. Tsunade saw the blood soaking through the overly large shirt she wore.

The Hokage placed a hand on the spot and Sakura winced. Tsunade inserted her chakra to examine it further. The injury seemed to eat up her strength from the inside. Tsunade's chakra was even drawn to it. But a simple peek with chakra was not enough.

She leaned in and muttered to Sakura alone. "Your injuries require more medical treatment. I urge you to go to the hospital right away." Sakura agreed. Then Tsunade addressed the group. "The rest of you should get a quick physical overview before the day is out." Her eyes went back to Sakura as she removed her hands. A smile returned to her face. "I'll come in for your report as soon as I can."

For a split second Tsunade was afraid that Sakura would vanish again as soon as her back turned. It was a ridiculous fear but, just in case, she spent another moment absorbing her presence.

"I'm glad you're back." The Hokage then turned on her heel and walked away.

Sakura sighed and looked back at Shikamaru where everyone else's gaze was. Shikamaru noticed and reluctantly spoke to them. "(How troublesome…) Well done, everyone. Haruno Sakura has been successfully returned to Konoha. You are dismissed." They all nodded. Chouji smiled at her. He was glad for Ino. Finally things could return to normal. Hinata gave Sakura a silent goodbye before following Chouji and Kiba in the opposite direction. Kakashi held back.

Kakashi felt old. Not too long ago, it seemed, he was the one saying that to these very same kids. But now they were taking charge and getting names for themselves. All of the original Konoha 12 were Chuunin or higher, but he could still remember them running around as children, skipping class and playing pranks on their teachers. He chuckled as the squad departed.

The three remaining overheard a conversation about food begin. Their celebration had already begun? Shikamaru grumbled. He had a cumbersome team. With a bored look he turned his attention to Kakashi and Sakura who were waiting patiently behind him.

"I'm guessing you have something you'd like to talk about?"

Sakura laughed awkwardly. "I just wanted to say thanks. I'm glad you didn't give up on me."

"Don't thank me. I didn't do anything, really." He scratched his head. He looked past the woman to Kakashi, who had a fake smile in his eye that was surprisingly threatening. It was clear that telling Sakura who _really_ didn't give up on her was not allowed. Shikamaru took the hint and waved them off.

Sakura stared back; she had a sneaking suspicion that she was missing something from that exchange.

Kakashi cut in before anymore was said. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Tsunade will want to talk with you, Sakura. We better not be late."

"That's my line." She glared at him while shrugging off his touch in false agitation. He laughed.

Sakura welcomed the silence after the moment passed. It was pleasant to look over the home she had been away from for so long. The sights and smells were the same as they had been when she left. But she felt different. She felt a little stronger and not as naïve.

Kakashi sensed the serious air around her and decided to make her feel like a child again. He ruffled her hat, messing up her hair underneath.

"What are you thinking about?"

Sakura was too distracted to answer. She speedily readjusted her hat and glared at him. "Don't _do_ that!" On the list of people she didn't want to see her hair, Kakashi was #2.

With the mood effectively broken, Kakashi smiled at ease that Sakura wasn't going weird on him. He still had no idea what thought could make her look so mature, but he was content with her juvenile response to ruffling her hair. Though, the idea of Sakura getting weird in her absence was still a possibility. Especially with her new look.

Kakashi watched Sakura curiously. He had never seen a badly dressed kunoichi… until Sakura and her questioning attire. She was sporting a ratty hat, cloak, large shirt and pants that were too long. Her hair was also oily from days without a shower. Overall, it wasn't a pretty sight.

He wasn't accustomed to seeing a poorly dressed woman. The _usual_ kunoichi would look sexy in their tight and showy clothes. Their eyes were usually dark and threatening, yet seductive. He was suddenly unsure of himself when he looked at Sakura. Didn't _all_ women dress that way?

Sakura noticed his watchful eye.

"What's up, Kakashi?"

He rubbed his head. "You're clothes are… interesting, Sakura. I didn't know you liked to dress so—" The shinobi hesitated. He was suddenly afraid of the grouchy woman staring up at him. He saw what he had been contemplating in a new light. It was suddenly a death wish ready to eat him alive if even touched upon.

"So…?"

He gave a shaky sigh and placed a hand on her head. "Oh, nothing. If you think it suits you…"

She caught on to his meaning without much difficulty. "Are you saying I look bad?" She flared. "I don't know if you remember clearly, but I've been without decent clothes for almost four weeks."

He was startled. _No sudden movements…_ He commanded to himself.

"I only meant…" He couldn't think of anything but the frightening woman glaring at him with murderous intent swirling in her green eyes. The hand on Sakura's head was shaking. He had seen her knock the snot out of Naruto before. Why would she spare him?

"Well, Kakashi? What _did_ you mean?"

He stammered again. Full of frustration, Sakura elbowed him in the side and Kakashi's hand jerked away.

In one swift motion Sakura's toboggan fell off.

Both froze in their tracks. Kakashi's gaze was trapped on Sakura's head. The woman was staring in shock at the hat thrown on the floor. Without seeing Kakashi's reaction, the man bent down and picked it up. He held it gingerly in his hand, his shoulders were jerking subtly.

He looked up with crinkled eyes, tears of laughter in the corners.

"That's a nice look for you, Sakura." He chuckled.

Sakura was close to bursting. She growled for a second before slapping Kakashi across the cheek and snatching her hat away.

Kakashi rubbed the mark. Sakura was so taken aback by her embarrassment that her anger with Kakashi vanished. On a regular day she would have clobbered him. She shoved the hat into her cloak pocket, pulled up her hood so her whole head was swallowed in it, and trudged off. Though Kakashi, who was keeping back laughter behind her, would never admit it out loud, Sakura's walk was more like a waddle due to her injured leg.

Of course, the shinobi caught up to her. "Calm down. It doesn't look that bad."

Her face was growing redder and redder. He was clearly lying through his teeth. She could still hear his chuckle under his breath.

Kakashi sighed and slowed down to give Sakura breathing room. She came around eventually and turned back to check if he would make fun of her again.

Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder. "I suggest you remove that hood. The ANBU will mistake you for an enemy."

"No…" She managed to say. "It's cold without it." Sakura struggled to keep it on as Kakashi tugged.

He rolled his eyes and grabbed a little more fabric in his fist. "Honestly, Sakura. You'll be inside the hospital before long…" Then something on her back caught his eye. His walking came to a gradual stop and Sakura was forced to as well so her cloak wouldn't fall off.

"What's wrong?"

He was perplexed at the small symbol on the cloth between his fingers. He rubbed it in thought. "Interesting…"

With a quick tug, Sakura's cloak came off with ease.

"Ack!" She threw her arms around herself as if to catch the escaping warmth. Then grabbed the hat and tugged it back over her head. "What the hell's wrong with you!?" Was Kakashi trying to make her miserable? First he takes off her hat, then her cloak. It was past freezing temperatures in Konoha. Sakura clawed out for her warmth but Kakashi took the cloak out of her reach. She gave up; it used too much heat to fight, and pouted with a shivering chin.

The shinobi draped it over his arm. "You really should listen to your elders, Sakura." Then he started walking again and inspected the small symbol. "And what is _this_ doing on your cloak?" He showed her the tiny Uchiha fan over his shoulder.

Sakura blushed. "I ran into Sasuke." She quickly joined him at his side.

"I can see that." He gave an overlook of Sakura. "And by the fact that you came back to Konoha wearing his shirt," He motioned to the overly large shirt, "implies that he ripped yours open?

One blush blended into another. He was definitely taking her appearance the wrong way. But it was a possibility that it was Sasuke who cut her white shirt to ribbons. The thought of that brought on the memory of Sasuke catching her dressing when they were alone for a day. Sakura looked away from Kakashi and attempted to settle her pounding heart before responding with a shaky voice.

"You're only half right."

He smirked. "Do tell."

"Not a chance." She met his stare.

Then, just like the old days, words passed through glares.

Sakura's look was hesitant as if to say 'You'll be pissed.'

He recovered by rolling his eyes. 'Really Sakura, your opinion of me is insultingly low.'

'I don't want you to know.'

'Friends don't let friends keep secrets. Now, stop being stubborn and tell me.'

Sakura placed a hand on her hip. 'It'll take more than that, Kakashi.'

Kakashi's face was still calm but he glared at her out of the corner of his eye. 'I asked nicely. The next time will include the Mangekyou Sharingan.'

Her body tensed. 'You lie.'

'I do not.'

Sakura felt sweat gather on her forehead. Kakashi had never threatened to use his Sharingan against her and she wondered if keeping the story a secret from him was worth it.

But before she could decide, possibly in his favor, the hand furthest from Sakura reached up to grasp his headband covering the Sharingan. The other reached around her shoulder and pulled her closer. Without warning, he turned her head to where their faces were not two inches apart. Sakura wasn't sure what to feel but, either way, she was _incredibly_ uncomfortable.

At a painstakingly slow pace Kakashi pulled up his headband. Sakura twitched as more and more of his scar came into view. It wasn't worth it.

"Alright, damn it." She grumbled. "I'll talk, I'll talk…"

Kakashi gave his smug smile. "Good." He was victorious as usual. It was easy for Sakura to turn down Naruto for anything from a mission to a date, but Kakashi, oh no, she couldn't help but cave at the dangerous air around him.

Kakashi readjusted his headband and released her face, but kept his arm around her shoulder. He looked down at her expectantly and Sakura knew that she wouldn't get away for long. At least she could delay telling him until she was in a warm hospital bed with Tsunade around. He could hear the _gory_ details later.

But there was no possible way she could lie to him. Not only did Kakashi's Sharingan see through everything, his natural lie detector sniffed out anything Sakura didn't want him to know.

There would be no secrets.

* * *

A figure moved effortlessly through the trees. Every branch and limb was familiar. Every step had been taken before. And Konoha's forest didn't reject him. He belonged there. His body knew the land by muscle memory. This place was apart of him. It was his home. The demon chakra strained to bring down the jinchuuriki and break him from his resolve. But he was so close. He was going back to where it all began for both of them.

In the forest, Naruto was covered in the illusion of darkness. His form had not returned to normal. But his mind was clear, more than ever. He knew how dangerous the chakra around him was. He knew that Konoha would attack and try to pacify him, even though he was entirely aware. He had to surrender quickly. With luck, the Kyuubi wouldn't be roused.

Even though on the outside he was the Kyuubi, he could make it back in control as Uzumaki Naruto.

* * *

Her gown was itchy. She was so accustom to seeing it on other people, but had forgotten how uncomfortable it actually was. There were numbers of tubes and monitors attached to her via needles and sticky patches. The machines around her bed hummed and beeped in the background.

Other than that it was quiet in the hospital room. She had become so stuned to the forests' sound that it was almost an uncomfortable silence. Where were the birds and wind in the leaves? It was all so empty.

Even though it was uncomfortable and all, she was overjoyed to be in a hospital instead of half dead in some forest. She wouldn't have survived had she spent another day without medical treatment. There was an infection in her blood due to her wounds' prolonged exposure. Without the blood tests she would have never known about her internal assailant.

It was all thanks to the hospital's quick work on her. Tsunade had yet to show herself. Kakashi was also gone, searching for the Hokage no doubt. Then again, he could be sitting right outside reading his porn books.

Sakura sighed. It wasn't as painful as she had anticipated, which was a comfort. The kunoichi was bandaged everywhere and it made her overly cautious. But it eased her thoughts knowing that she _was _getting better.

However, her side would take a while to heal regardless of how many medics worked on it. Sakura had no complaints. Just being back home made her brighten up, even if it meant sitting in a hospital bed for a week.

Sakura relaxed on the bed, feeling her fatigue catch up to her. Sleep beckoned her.

She couldn't refuse.

…

_The dream was of home. Before her were the great Konoha gates. She was waiting impatiently for something. The door creaked and moved slowly. Whoever behind was laughing at the impatient tapping of her foot._

_There was a mask over his face, but she knew who it was and she smiled. "Hurry up and get here."_

_He chuckle in response. "I'm comin', I'm comin'…" He stepped inside. His blue eyes were as vibrant as ever. "I'm home, Sakura-chan."_

_"Welcome back, Naruto."_

_She ran to his side, wanting to embrace him, but she knew why she couldn't. She was afraid of him. She was afraid. Her body was shaking. Why did it have to be this way? Why was Naruto forced to carry such a burden?_

_A loud knocking shook her dream. Who was knocking on the doors? Who else would enter?_

Sakura's eyes opened slowly and before she could say "come in" the door busted open and a man stormed up to her bed.

"You idiot."

Sakura's eyes focused on a confused face. It was angry and happy all at once. Her mind woke up and she froze. She could only stare up at the man with a toothpick hanging out of his mouth. She gripped her sheets and in a sudden rush, she threw herself onto him. Sakura wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as tightly as she could. She was unaware of her shaking.

Joy filled her. "Y- you're alive… Genma." His name was welcome to her ears. "I thought you were…"

Strong hands curled around her and squeezed gently. "Don't give up on me so easily." He chuckled quietly. Sakura buried her head further into him. "You certainly took your time catching up."

"Gomen…"

He laughed, his torso humming softly. Then he gingerly removed himself from her and sat in the chair beside the bed. He looked at her face, scanning over it, rememorizing it. Then he took his hand and wiped away a little wetness sliding down her cheek. His mood abruptly brightened and he placed a hand in her hair.

"What happened to the extra dye you packed, monk-lady."

Sakura blushed. She took the sheets and threw them over her head and recalled her list of people who should never see her hair. Where Kakashi was #2, Genma was #1…

"Jerk."

His laugh boomed in the room. "Please, Sakura. You set yourself up for that one. I warned you about that, didn't I?"

"Shut up."

His fingers came over the edge of her sheet and he peeled it back. "What? A quick trim and no one will tell the difference." He smiled at her reassuringly. He had no clue what memory those words triggered in her mind. Her stomach clenched at the thought of Akane cutting her hair in the bathroom. A wave of depression hit her briefly.

She tried to disguise the sadness in her voice. "No, there wouldn't be anything left."

Genma heard it but chose not to investigate. "Have you looked at it recently?" He took a clump in his hand. "Your hair has grown out a lot."

"Hmm." She turned away.

He drew back, sinking further into the chair. He played with the wood between his lips. "I'm sure Tsunade will cut it for you."

"I'm sure I won't." A voice came from the doorway. Both shinobi quickly turned. There was the Hokage, leaning comfortably against the wall. Kakashi was already seated in the corner, reading his book. Sakura laughed to herself at how predictable he was.

Tsunade smiled. "I may be an expert surgeon but I can't cut hair." Sakura was strangely relieved. It was like she was afraid to replace the memory she had of Akane. Tsunade grinned at the other shinobi. "Genma's been telling us you were alive from the day he got back. If not for his message to Konoha, Kakashi wouldn't have gone after you."

Questions she hadn't thought of asking started to form. "How did you make it out? I thought Sasuke went after you?"

"I can't say for sure what happened." His expression was guarded. It was clear he would fill her in when the Hokage _wasn't_ in the room. Sakura smiled. Genma was always full of surprises.

Tsunade didn't see this exchange and continued. "But what we all are curious about is how _you _survived, Sakura."

Sakura returned to a seated position in the bed and glanced at Kakashi. He was looking at her expectantly and urged her to continue with his intrigued eyes. Tsunade took a seat at other side of her bed and crossed her legs. Then she took the clipboard from the bedside table and placed it on her lap with a pen at hand. It was a report, after all.

Sakura sighed. It was sure to be a long story. It contained things that some of them wouldn't believe and some things that she could never tell them. Akane's true past was to remain a secret for the rest of her days. Her private conversations with Sasuke were also confidential. Kakashi would blow up in her face if she ever told him all she had said. Sakura smiled at the better times. Things like that didn't belong in a report. No one needed to hear her little fantasies and small moments of happiness. It would be a dry, empty recollection of what had passed. No more, no less.

Sakura gave another weak sigh and began.

"After you left, Genma, I fought with Team Hebi. I delayed them for a while but the pain was too much and I was knocked out." She had already gone into detail of those injuries with the nurses and she was sick of listing them. "I woke up tied to a tree. I attempted an escape, one of many I'd try in the following weeks. I was stopped, of course. That's about the time when I found why I was there for them to interrogate. They wanted to know about where Naruto was. They questioned me in the evening, beatings included. But they couldn't do too much forceful questioning. I was drained of chakra by Suigetsu and whatever chakra I had left was monitored by Karin. If I refused to heal myself I could avoid getting smacked around." Sakura didn't need to say any more, nor did she want to. "This became a reoccurring theme for the next two weeks.

"There was one point when I was alone with Sasuke in Rain Country. Suigetsu was checking out a tip on Naruto's position and Karin was getting supplies from a town nearby. Sasuke and I were traveling near Ame when patrol squads attacked us. After we took out the first group, he noticed something strange about the rain. It gave a visual image to anything hit by it so someone inside Ame could tell exactly where we were." Tsunade's brows furrowed as something clicked in her mind.

"How could he tell?" Kakashi interrupted.

"Sasuke could see chakra in the rain through his Sharingan. It's some sort of technique. But it was clear that whoever was using it was highly ranked if they could command so many squads against us."

Kakashi nodded and was silent again.

Sakura continued. "We got out alright when Suigetsu and Karin caught up." She saw where it led from there. Karin's invasion of her mind… Akane's story… All of these things were to remain unsaid. "After a few more days we were almost to Earth Country when I overheard their plans. They needed Naruto's location so they could draw in the Akatsuki. Itachi was Sasuke's goal from the beginning. Even the ambush on Akane, Genma, and myself was planned ahead so one of us would be caught and forced to give away Naruto's recent movements."

Kakashi chuckled. "It's ironic almost how Sasuke caught _you_."

Sakura shot a glare at him. "Anyway, we ran into Naruto eventually at the edge of Earth Country—"

"What?" Kakashi cut in. "You were in Earth Country?" His voice was suddenly furious.

"Damn it, Kakashi! It you do that again, I'll…" Sakura went quiet.

Kakashi's hands balled into fists. Tsunade and Genma looked back at him. "We saw Naruto go overhead when we entered Earth Country from Grass…" His voice faded and he threw up a poker face.

_He was so close… I didn't know… _Sakura tried to go on but found herself staring at Kakashi as he mentally kicked himself – without showing on the outside, of course. "Yeah, Naruto got away…" Kakashi was still fuming. "But I was able to escape when the nin tracking Naruto attacked us.

"While everyone else was busy with the fifteen or so shinobi, I slipped out." Genma's reaction was strange. He looked a little smug, like he had predicted it. He knew that Sasuke probably let her walk. He didn't doubt his own theory anymore and was itching to tell Sakura as soon as Tsunade left. The Hokage didn't like the idea of Sasuke being a good guy. Sakura noticed Tsunade eyeing him from behind as if she could read his thoughts. She decided to change subject. "I was so worried they would find me that I didn't stop forever. It was a twist of fate that at the peak of my exhaustion the Akatsuki attacked me. One of them recognized me as the murderer of Sasori back in Suna and they decided to take me out.

"During the fight I noticed something strange from Deidara's partner. He had a swirling mask that covered his whole face but his right eye." Sakura hesitated. "I saw the Sharingan."

Tsunade leaned forward in her chair. Had she heard correctly? Another Sharingan? She fell into deep thought as she leaned back into the chair. Her clipboard was long forgotten. Kakashi had a similar reaction. He placed his elbow across his knee and propped his chin up on his hand.

"I couldn't last. Even though Deidara's partner was half deranged, I was still to hurt to do any damage. Then a third one showed up. I ran." She was humiliated to admit it. "They didn't know I was there. They gave new orders to Deidara's partner. They called him 'Tobi' and Zetsu sent him to follow Naruto into Fire Country."

Their faces were blank.

Tsunade spoke first. "Are you certain you heard correctly?"

"I'm positive." Sakura fiddled with the IV in her arm. "For some reason I thought I could find him first. I nearly killed myself… I collapsed in the snow due to severe blood loss after running for hours." She sighed. It was a miracle that she was sitting in the hospital bed, breathing and wrapped in warmth. "I woke up in a cave." She laughed. "You know where it goes from there." She smiled.

The Hokage sat, contemplating. Her pen tapped mindlessly on the paper while her eyes stared out the darkened window, unfocused. "The Akatsuki are our biggest problem now." She looked to Sakura. "Another recovery mission for Sasuke will have to wait, do you understand?"

Sakura's expression sank. "But Sasuke it still a part of all this. He's going to track Naruto down until Itachi shows up. And if the Akatsuki, that Tobi guy and the others, catch up to those two…"

"Still, Sasuke is not our top priority."

Sakura nodded but her mind was going crazy. If Naruto was caught by those people, what would Sasuke do? Tobi and his Sharingan seemed to have a bigger role in all of this than anyone thought. Naruto and Sasuke were in harm's way still. Why didn't Tsunade understand that it was all connected?

Moments passed. Everyone in the room was trying to register what they had been told. Then the blonde stood.

"I'll take my leave. Sakura, those injuries will take a while to heal. They are still prone to infection so I suggest refraining from activity for at lease a week." After receiving a nod in response, Tsunade stood and walked to the door. She gave Genma a warning look and departed. He stood and walked to the door. Her footsteps faded down the hall and he shut the door with a relieved exhale.

"That woman really hates me…" Genma went back to his seat while Kakashi moved to Tsunade's. "Sakura, I wanted to tell you more about how I got out alive… I didn't want to say anything in front of Tsunade. She doesn't really see eye to eye with me. It is just a theory, after all…" He laughed dryly. "But after hearing what you said… I don't really doubt it anymore." Kakashi leaned on the armrest, intrigued.

Genma paused before beginning. "Sasuke _did_ catch up to me. I was so close to the Border City but I passed out just when he caught up to me." Sakura shook her head. _How could he have…_ "Sasuke took me to the city. I know it was him. The manager of the inn even described him. He let us both live." She was flabbergasted. "He let you escape at Earth's border." There was no way. "The guy's a bastard, there's no point in denying that, but that bastard's got a heart. It's deep down in there, but he has one. Orochimaru couldn't touch that kid. He's just the same, stuck-up, selfish, manipulative brat from the Academy."

Sakura was speechless. In the way he said it, Sakura felt that Genma was closer to the truth than she had ever dreamed.

Genma stood and walked around the back of his chair. "I bet he even used Orochimaru. When the snake got a little too close, he killed him." He mimicked a hanging. They both smiled but something else was tugging at his eyes. There was uncertainty.

"What is it, Genma?"

His smile faded and his hands gripped the back of his chair. "It's Akane… I don't know why he…"

Sakura cut him off. "Sasuke knew Akane before we did." She blurted. "I know it doesn't make it right… but Sasuke had is reasons." She looked away. "I can't say why, but it wasn't blind murder."

Genma was angered by her defense of the Uchiha. "You can't say or you _won't_ say." He stared at her, searching for a reason in her expression.

"Don't look at me like that." She placed a hand to her forehead. "I _hate _him for it…" She wanted to look away from him but there on the other side was Kakashi, waiting for her to make eye contact. Sakura was forced to stare straight ahead. "I wish he hadn't told me…" she muttered. Akane's secret would never be verbalized again, she decided. Maybe now that all of the missing pieces had been filled in, Akane's memory could pass away peacefully. "I… I want you to understand that he didn't kill _anyone_ other than Akane. No matter who it was, every person I saw him fight lived." Her heart tightened. That wasn't entirely true. She remembered the man trapped between the fallen trees in Rain Country. "Even if it isn't that easy to see… He has a sense of…" _Justice. _She had wanted to say. Was it justice that killed Akane? Did anyone deserve to die?

Genma couldn't respond. He stood there, turning her words over in his mind. It was clear that he didn't know everything. But was it worth keeping hidden from him? Sakura was right, in a way, it wasn't going to be that easy to see.

The air in the room was suddenly so grim. They all needed time to think. Kakashi spoke when no one could. "Genma, I'm guessing that Chouji or Shikamaru will tell Ino that Sakura is back. Just in case she doesn't know, check up on her." Kakashi's intentions were crystal clear.

Genma turned away and nodded. Then without another word, he left them alone.

Sakura watched him go and gripped her sheets. Perhaps he had been better off not knowing.

Kakashi stood. "Don't worry about Genma. He needed to know the truth."

Sakura fell back onto the pillow and shut her eyes. "Un…" They both listened to Sakura's beeping heartbeat as it settled again.

"I know why Sasuke killed Hidaka Akane."

Sakura's eyes shot open. She looked to Kakashi who was staring intently out the window.

"Because of my rank, I've seen most of the black op files. Akane's included." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I recall from her confession that she was more than willing to take a death sentence." He added that in a quieter voice. He knew what Sakura didn't want to hear. "I can't say I agree with Sasuke's way of handling the situation, but I see why he did what he did."

Sakura sat there for a minute. She visualized Akane's fight with Sasuke again. It was a horrific memory, to be sure. She couldn't move past the fact that Akane was the only one. "I can't forgive him for it no matter how justified it is." The kunoichi slid down in the bed and curled up. "I just can't believe that after all of those years with Orochimaru that he hasn't changed. I never realized it when I was with him." She sighed.

Kakashi was tired of her sulking. He moved to stand over her. "Tell me why you had the cloak."

Her head snapped up. "Oh… I forgot."

"Yes, now please…"

She smiled a little. "It was Sasuke that took me to the cave. I don't remember him doing it, but, when I woke up, my wounds were healed and bandaged. Instead of untying the shirt I had he shredded it up the center."

"It's a powerful feeling when a man rips open the shirt of a woman."

"You're a pervert." Sakura pulled the blanket closer to her. "Besides, Sasuke saw me half naked and acted like nothing happened."

"You didn't mention this before…" Kakashi looked at her with a strange smile. "I am surprised. I never knew Sasuke to be a lecher."

"Shut up, Kakashi. I told you he didn't even react to it."

"He was probably hiding a boner."

Sakura sat up and punched him in the stomach. Her face was cherry red. "You! Stop projecting your nasty books onto my life!"

"I'll say no more." Kakashi laughed.

"I can't believe you." Sakura rolled over.

The shinobi heard her yawn and he chuckled. "I'll talk to you later." She turned over to see him walk to the door. "Get some rest, Sakura." Then he shut it, leaving Sakura alone.

Sakura's green eyes wavered. Her opinion of Sasuke was unclear. He killed Akane, he gave injuries to soldiers that they would never recover from, and he planned to betray Naruto. On the other hand, he saved Genma, he allowed her to live, he slowed concern from someone other than himself, he gave her respect as a shinobi, and he rescued her more than once in their time together. He was so cold to everyone around him, but Sakura had never felt so close. She felt herself diving into a battle between her love and her rising hate for him.

Hate was loosing.

* * *

Naruto was panting heavily. Sweat on his brow evaporated in the heat. The chakra sent ripples across his body and he stood, shivering uncontrollably, in a standstill with himself. Home was so close. But he was so tired. He wanted to sleep.

The Kyuubi wouldn't allow it. No matter what happened to them both, the goal set for them would be achieved.

_"Go home…"_

The chakra within him fluctuated. It pushed against his will like it was up against a brick wall. It kept building and building, waiting for a release. Naruto clutched his hair in his hands. It was cracking. The barrier against the dark power was _cracking_.

Naruto held on. He would return home as himself. The Kyuubi couldn't be allowed to win. Naruto took a step forward and a heat wave radiated off of it. The snow melted around him and rained off of the trees.

_"Sakura's waiting for you…"_

He was in the air again. Lights from the city glowed in the night and lead the way. The Kyuubi's voice merged with Naruto. "_S- Sakura…_" The village was close. He could see the wall towering ahead.

Atop the wall an shinobi stood. He was leaning against the railing with a cigarette dangling from his lip.

He looked out over the vicinity. The night had been relatively quiet. The moon was half full. The clouds around it were only temporary shadows that came and went without a care. But the night seemed oblivious of what was approaching.

The trees knew. They rustled and creaked, agitated at the naïve sky for not feeling the earth tremble with fear. A roar threw the clouds into awareness and the shinobi keeping watch shot up. He ran to the edge of the wall and gazed over it. He could see a wave of strong winds shoot out from a spot not 100 feet from where he stood. Goosebumps covered him as a line of trees suddenly began falling. It was like a rupture in the ground was swallowing them up. The line was coming right at the village.

Every part of his body filled with a sickening feeling. He knew something terrible was coming. He ran to the other side to alert those below.

"A hostile is coming in fast! Sound the alarm!" He bellowed in the cold air.

A pair sitting at the base of the wall shot up and one ran off to relay the information.

The ground moaned in agony. And a pulse of energy hit him. Whatever it was, it was scaling up. The man turned back around to see and there, an inch from his face, were empty white eyes staring into his own. The crimson chakra around the beast brushed him. Pain branched through his system and he leapt away, throwing kunai at the monster.

The metal clattered to the ground in a second. The monster shook it's head. The anger inside of him _would not_ be allowed out. A snarl developed in it's throat and it dove to the side, around the shinobi, and over the side of the wall.

It flew to the ground and landed, creating a large crater. Its body remained curled over as the aftershock of its landing faded. Then slowly its legs stretched out and it rolled up.

His illuminated eyes looked out around him. There were silhouettes of innumerable shinobi all around him. His tails whipped around his body. Each one was coated in chakra that could kill every one of them.

* * *

Something was prohibiting Sakura from sleep. It was like a shadow was covering her. She tried to focus on her heart's rhythmic thumping, hoping to drift away to it.

_"Sakura!!"_ Something called from a distance in her mind.

The voice was haunting and sad.

Then, breaking her from tiredness, an explosion shook her room. She was awake now. Sakura removed her covers and rushed to the window. There were flames reflecting off of the buildings around the courtyard of the Hospital. Without a moment's hesitation, she threw back the glass pane and leaned out to look down the road. There was the source.

A giant explosion was enveloping a house. She placed her foot onto the sill and prepared to jump. Her body tightened up, afraid of more pain. Sakura stepped back and placed her foot down. She looked out the window for different way out. The nurses awaiting outside her door wouldn't let her leave to go check it out. And even though she'd get past them, it was annoying to have to fight off pestering nurses.

"What do you think you're doing, ugly?" An emotionless voice stopped her.

There, standing sideways on the wall was a man covered in black with dark eyes boring into her. At first she thought it was Sasuke, a silly hope, but quickly she recognized Sai.

"Kakashi told me to keep you here." He reported matter-of-factly, yet it still in his dead voice.

"Kakashi can shove that up his ass." Sakura scowled. "People are in danger."

Sai stared at her with stern eyes. "Kakashi and the other ANBU can handle this."

"What's going on?"

Before he could answer, another explosion echoed within the closely spaced houses and the neighboring home caught fire. Sakura shaded here eyes from the abrupt brightness.

She glanced at Sai, who was also covering his face, and took the opportunity to run. She bolted through the door and found that the Hospital was evacuating. She, still in her nightgown, pushed through frantic nurses, avoided injuring any patients, and found her way to the stairs.

When she reached the bottom Sai was waiting.

"You can't go." He grabbed her shoulder and threw her against the wall. Sakura grunted as her side pulsed.

She grabbed his hand and forced it off of her. "Preventing me from going is only making me more worried."

Sakura ran out of the hospital and stared at the towering fire. The building beside the hospital was catching fire. The house beside it was already coated in flames. The wall closest to her began to collapse and she hurried out of the way as it crumbled. Hot cinders were thrown into the air. The thought of burn flesh hit her and she stopped. There was no one burning, she had to convince herself. And she began jogging toward the center of the fight.

A flicker at her side drew her attention. She noticed the silver headband framing half of the person's face.

"Yamato!" She shouted and the shinobi's head turned. In a second he was by her side.

"How did you get out? Where is Sai?"

"Here, Yamato." The sneaky man was standing behind Sakura.

Yamato sighed. "I don't have time for this. Sakura, you have to evacuate with the rest of the patients. You are in no condition to be out here." He signaled to Sai who took hold of Sakura's arm.

"What is it?"

The tall man looked between the two before answering. "It's Naruto." Sakura's heart lifted. _But why is that…_ Yamato finished. "He's been possessed by the Kyuubi."

Underlining fear sunk in to her and she fell back a little, bumping into the man behind her.

"Sai." Yamato ordered him.

Before another move could be made, Sakura broke free of the two and put as much chakra into her legs as her body could take. She ran through the fiery streets. She saw other shinobi gathering to the area and there were footsteps catching up at her back.

Yamato called from behind. "Sakura, there's nothing you can do! You'll only get in the way."

"Not this time…" She muttered. "I won't let him get away this time." He been in the darkness for too long.

The battle scene showed itself as she turned the corner. The injured were spread across the open area. Burning debris covered everything in an orange glow.

Shinobi were in a wide circle around one creature. Naruto's spiky hair had two long ears sticking straight up. His tails flew around him as he sent a pulse of energy, knocking any shinobi close to him away. She stared upon it all with wide eyes as Yamato and four of his wooden clones flew past her. He threw his hands into a seal.

"Get out of the way!" He shouted. The jinchuuriki looked in the direction of the voice and roared. Yamato landed and his clones spread out around Naruto. The real shinobi leapt at him and tried to put a seal his chest.

The Kyuubi panicked. He didn't swing at him, but instead leaped out of the way, right into a building. His tail brushed the wall and fire sprouted from it. Yamato tried again but the demon kept evading him. He shied away from any fallen shinobi and became cornered between two burning houses.

Wood shot from the ground at the demon's feet and wrapped around his ankles. He screeched in frustration. Yamato tried to approach again but Naruto shoved him away with a shield of energy. His claws reached and attempted to shred the wooden braces wrapped around him.

_"Sakura!"_ The voice cried out to Sakura again. She watched helplessly as Naruto struggled.

Sai was at her side. "Like we said. You wouldn't have been able to do anything. Yamato is capable of restraining the Kyuubi." Sakura shook her head. Something was wrong.

Yamato charged at the monster again and slapped on the small paper seal. A thread of blue chakra connected the seal to Yamato's hand and he began drawing out the chakra.

The Kyuubi flailed around sending out blood curdling screams. The two beings were too closely merged. Something was keeping Naruto in the Kyuubi form.

The kunoichi stepped forward.

_"Where are you, Sakura!?"_

The kunoichi could stand it no longer. She sprinted forward. "Yamato! Yamato, stop! You're hurting him!"

"Naruto's demon chakra is being pulled from him. He will return to normal in a little while." More cries tore through the village. The demon curled inward, trying to hold on to whatever he had left.

Sakura looked from the Kyuubi to Yamato. Her desperation was growing. The chakra Yamato was drawing was so mixed with Naruto's that it was draining the jinchuuriki of everything he had. It was _killing_ Naruto.

Sakura grabbed Yamato's neck gently.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

Sakura looked away. "I'm sorry…" Then she forced a small amount of chakra into him and he fell to the ground unconscious. Yamato's clones disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Calamity rose in the shinobi around them.

"What are you doing!?" Kakashi's voice bellowed from an unknown direction.

Sakura didn't respond. She walked up to the Kyuubi who was still struggling against the seal.

Sai landed behind her. "What did you do? Yamato is our only chance." He ran to grab Sakura just as she placed a hand on the wood. The power was fading from it. As was her own. Her burst of energy was spent.

"Naruto…" Sakura called to him and Sai took her arm, ready to pull her away from the demon.

The jinchuuriki's head slowly lifted.

"_S-… S-Sakura._" The voice of Naruto spoke loud and clear through the Kyuubi's fading growls. His command had been completed. He had found her.

Sasuke's control on the jinchuuriki ended and the Kyuubi released the boy. The clear red chakra faded as streams of blood drained from his face and the body fell limp in the arms of wood around it. His blue eyes came into view, they were filled with joy and pain. Sakura reached through the wooden posts to touch his face. He gave a small smile.

"I- I'm home… Sakura."

* * *

So much fun! Finally I've got some action going. Hehehe… you have no idea what's in store for you later…

I promise the next chapter won't be as long… o_o"

Next Chapter – The Dream

IAmNotANut


	15. The Dream

Sorry, I wasn't able to update as soon as I wanted to. I've been waiting for school to end to start writing again. Testing was torture. My final grades consist of three C's, two B's, and three A's. (I'm a terrible student, just so you know.)

Anyway, from now on I will be doing four things this summer: summer classes, typing on this story, summer reading, or working on the original story I started recently! But I intend to finish EK before I really begin writing another and, once I publish it, I'll tell you where to find it… (Whoa, dream big!)

I'll take this opportunity to broaden your knowledge of music.

Platlist: I suggest Babylon by David Gray for Kakashi (it's the perfect song, no joke. You have to listen to it for the whole first part), Blackout by Muse (Karin), Place for My Head by Linkin Park (Naruto), and Not Alone by All That Remains (Big crazy moment when things go too fast to understand) (Can be replaced with Through the Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce). Please listen to it.

* * *

Eien no Kessoku

The Dream

* * *

The sun was a greatly appreciated beam of warmth to the freezing earth below. Kakashi could bask in it as well. He stared up at the clouds that crossed the light's path. He predicted that it was too warm to have snow but he sure as hell wasn't going to be outside when the worse weather hit.

But in that moment he enjoyed the sun's rays. The morning's light reflected Konoha's cheery emotions. They were all glad their favorite baka was finally back, even if he knocked down two homes and set an entire block on fire.

Kakashi sat on the roof of the hospital. His thoughts were too occupied to pull out his little novel. Naruto's arrival was a surprise to everyone. A few were injured in his craze but most were just shocked to see the monster turn back into Naruto. It was a glaring reminder of the horrible battle with the Kyuubi when the village lost the Fourth Hokage. And those who never knew that Naruto was harboring a demon certainly did now. That included some of his peers from the Konoha 12.

But they all visited, none the less. Most of his old friends knew something about what was lurking inside but didn't mind, knowing that Naruto was still Naruto no matter what. They kept him company in the hospital while he recovered from the damage. The chakra had corroded his body little by little over the lengthy possession. It was a miracle that the Kyuubi had even let him go. Perhaps it was Naruto's internal strength that shoved the Kyuubi back inside. Sakura certainly had a lot to do with it. Konoha was lucky, one could say, that he had something to return to there.

Sakura had hardly left his side and Naruto had no complaints. No one questioned their closeness or playful mannerisms. Naruto and Sakura had a lot to catch up on that would take more than just two days. Everyone could see how much Sakura needed to see him. Her feelings for him were very evident but they were still no comparison to Naruto's love for her. Kakashi knew how hard it was for Naruto to hold back when he saw her again.

Kakashi saw it from the first day they were a team. And every day he saw the similarities of their love triangle to his previous one. Like Naruto, Obito was a dunce who was always late, always lacking. He was in love with the quiet and collected Rin. Rin had her affections focused on Kakashi who chose to ignore them. It angered him to no end to have a team with the exact same problem. And for the first few weeks he was constantly asking the Third to switch his team with someone else's, though he was eternally grateful that the old man hadn't listened.

Having those kids for all of the years gave him a better view of his past. Maybe it was fate. He was their teacher and he was the one capable of showing them a better path. They could save themselves from heartache and emotional scaring.

Behind him the stairwell door creaked open.

If only Sasuke hadn't left.

"I thought you'd be up here," said a bored man.

The shinobi looked at Shikamaru who calmly shut the door. Kakashi was almost glad to have a breather from his thoughts.

Shikamaru walked to Kakashi and sat on the edge of the building with him. "They're looking for you down there. I'm guessing you didn't want to be found."

"They don't really need me. They just want to add to the chaos." He grinned. "It's too troublesome, ne?"

"Yeah…" Shikamaru reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He offered one to Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled. "I forgot you smoked."

"Only on days like this."

He took one and looked at it between his fingers. "Is it a good occasion?"

"Well, Naruto just got here. And, not too long ago, Sakura came back from the dead." Shik put away the pack and replaced it with a silver lighter. "So, yeah, it's a good occasion." He flicked it open. "I figured Asuma should celebrate with us." He lit it and inhaled until a stream of smoke, thin as a thread, drifted into the sky.

Kakashi placed his over the flame and pulled down his mask. Kakashi's first intake was rough, he held back a cough.

"It's been a while." He chuckled through a raspy breath.

Shikamaru laughed out loud. Then his face became a little solemn. "What were you thinking about?"

"I don't need therapy from a kid, thank you." He smiled, his voice was still scratchy.

The shinobi sighed. "It's about Sasuke, right?" By Kakashi's long drag, he could tell he hit the nail on the head. "I know Sakura didn't tell me all that happened with Sasuke, but I'm guessing _you_ know." Kakashi coughed. "Then again, that doesn't really bother me. You two are close. All of you are close." He knocked off the gathering ash from his cigarette. Shikamaru almost envied them. Asuma had really held them together. Even though Chouji and Shik were like brothers, they didn't have the same connection with Ino or with each other anymore. There were just some things that only Asuma could fill. "Sasuke isn't a Konoha shinobi anymore, that's clear enough." His listener nodded in agreement. "But he's still a part of your team." Shik suddenly felt like a kid giving advice to the man who wrote the book.

Kakashi took another breath and blew out a steady stream of smoke. "Hmm… That's deep."

Shik glared at him as a tinge of pink hit his cheeks. "Give me a break." He took out the cigarette and held it on his knee. "It's troublesome, giving tips to an old man like you." Kakashi laughed quietly. Shik rubbed his forehead and gathered his words again. "I know that even when someone dies… or leaves, or whatever," He grumbled and looked away from Kakashi. "It isn't that easy to get rid of them. I'm pretty sure that goes for both sides."

He brushed it off. "Yeah, yeah…" The silver-haired shinobi put out the bud and flicked it over the edge. "I know." He pulled up his mask and walked away.

Shikamaru sighed again and let the cigarette burn, the ash was gathering at the end while a thin ribbon of smoke rose. He tapped it to clear the end before taking another deep breath, letting it out his nose.

"Why are people so stubborn, Asuma?"

He put it out and followed out the open door.

* * *

Suigetsu was sitting around the extinguished campfire. He juggled his water bottle aimlessly while staring over the view before him. The base Sasuke had told them to wait at was on the cliff just inside of Fire Country's side of their border with Earth. It was a dangerous location in the geographic sense –accessing a cliff side was unexpectedly difficult– and territorial sense –no one messed with Earth Country and, therefore, no one knew the base was there (_including_ Earth Country). It had been abandoned when Orochimaru died and whoever didn't leave was killed by people like team Hebi who wanted to end everything connected to the mad man.

Suigetsu groaned at the painful boredom. They had been sitting around for almost a week without Sasuke and Karin wouldn't leave him alone. Every other moment it was "Where's Sasuke-kun?", "Is Sasuke-kun back yet?", or "Why did Sasuke-kun leave me with you?" and, if the bitch didn't shut up in the next ten minutes, there would be one less team member for Sasuke to come back to.

The kunoichi of the team dwelt far below in the base exploring the abandoned equipment. She had a hunch that Sasuke would want to blow up the base as soon as they were done there so she scavenged anything salvageable. That was one of his rare consistencies. The few that Karin was sure of were: 1) Sasuke didn't want anyone to pick up where Orochimaru left off, 2) Sasuke would not stop until Uchiha Itachi was killed and his clan was restored (She hoped to be of assistance in the latter), and 3) Sasuke didn't like anybody (thus, her hopes were shattered).

Karin sighed as she moved into the small kitchen area of the cliff base. The table was knocked to the side and it was clear that the room had been looted a long time ago. The cabinet doors were wide open and every shelf was covered in a thick layer of dust. Karin reluctantly opened the only closed cabinet she saw.

She screamed girlishly as a few cockroaches crawled into the shadows and slammed it shut again. After waiting for a moment she opened the door again and sitting there was a large unopened bag. The woman tried to lift it but could only manage to scoot it off onto the floor. It was clear that no thief would take such a bag in his scramble to remain uncaught.

Karin unknotted the coarse rope and pulled at the top. A grin spread across her face when some brown grains dropped onto the floor like rain.

It was a giant bag of rice.

She squealed happily and tied the bag closed again. No cockroaches were getting their food. She rushed from the room and made her way outside.

"Suigetsu!" She called as she scaled the stone stairs on the edge of the ravine. "I'm coming up!"

"Don't fall." He muttered sarcastically.

Her head popped up over the edge. "Suigetsu, I'm going in to town to get something to eat. There's a big bag of rice down there but the stove doesn't work. Could you grab it for me and build a fire? There's a pot you could use on the countertop."

"Why should I?"

"If you don't, I won't get you anything. And I know you're running out of water." She glared at him.

He looked at the bottle in his hand. It was his last. Then he growled. "What town? There isn't a town for miles."

"Do you want me to go or not." Karin pulled herself over the edge and stood with her hand on her waist.

He stared at her. What was he talking about? If she left there would be some peace and quiet. He grinned with his pointed teeth in plain sight. "No, please, go ahead."

She smiled and waved while walking away.

He smirked as she soon disappeared into the distance. "Have a safe trip."

…

"Stupid rain. Stupid, stupid, stupid rain." Karin marched through the forest like she had been for the past hour. It had only started to pour when she was too far from the base to turn back.

Karin could see the chakras from the people in the village she sought. Even thought a normal person's chakra was low in comparison to a trained shinobi, she could still tell where it was. Just a few more minutes and she would be away from the rain. To keep her feet moving she imagined Sasuke's expression when he returned to find her cooked meal.

'Karin, what is this?' He would say.

She would giggle in response. 'It's dinner, silly.' He'd laugh with her and then sit.

After his first bite, his eyes would widen and he would look up at her in awe. 'This is amazing, Karin!' She'd smile, pleased at his surprise. Then, suggestively, he'd add, 'You'd make a great wife.'

She'd blush and turn away. 'Sasuke-kun… I-'

'No, really. I would marry you just for your cooking.'

'Just?'

Then he'd stand and approach her, the meal forgotten. 'Isn't that enough?' He'd corner her against the wall and place his hands on both sides of her. 'Or did you want me to add your beauty and tenderness to that list?'

His stare would wipe Karin's mind clean. She would be captivated by his deep black eyes. 'A-am I-?'

'Of course.' Then he'd capture her in a kiss and she'd give a startled moan. Then she'd suddenly feel his hand on her thigh and-

Karin's face abruptly smashed into something. Her fantasy floated away as she looked up at a tall man with shaggy hair.

"Y'alright, miss?"

"Yeah." She trudged off angrily and muttered curse words in the man's direction. It was his fault that her vision was broken just when it was getting good. At least she'd occupied her thoughts long enough for her to make it into the village.

She ran into the closest market and purchased meat. Then she added some leeks and carrots to her pack. Fried rice was on the menu. After grabbing a few required spices and Suigetsu's water bottles, she left she shop and ran back into the rain.

The pelts grew louder and pounded harder onto her back. She held her hood close to her face and carried her items under the black cloak. It helped a little because she was running from the rain this time. She felt the chakra's go further into the distance.

Without warning a chakra sprouted out of the fading crowds. It was a frightening familiar chakra and she slowed to a stop, turning into the rain. It was Uchiha Itachi.

Karin closed her eyes and focused. The man's chakra was going quickly to the east. She could barely see him, but it was surely Itachi. His destination was just out of her sightline. Then, as quickly as he had appeared, he vanished beyond her limits.

The kunoichi stood, flabbergasted for a few seconds. What was Itachi after? Where was his partner? What would she do?

The last question went thought her head many times before she turned around and started walking again. Sasuke had to know. Sasuke needed her just for times like these. He needed her. And she wanted to be needed. But he would leave again. He would leave them again and go to fight his brother alone. He could die and she wouldn't be there to do anything about it.

She couldn't take a chance like that. Itachi couldn't stay in the East forever. That's why they were so close to Rain Country. She knew that Itachi's leader was in Rain and he would eventually return. That's what Sasuke counted on her for. She had to protect him. Karin clutched her items. She wanted to see Sasuke. She wanted to cook for him and make him happy.

He wouldn't know. She wouldn't tell him. He would come back and they would wait for Itachi just like they planned.

…

Sasuke saw the fire on top of the rocks as a beacon leading him in. He climbed the cliff, much like an old sensei of his did. He recalled the worn out face of Kakashi's below his looking for the last leg up onto their temporary training grounds for the Chuunin Exams. But this time, his hand wasn't tied behind his back and it wasn't Kakashi or anyone important that waited for him at the top.

It was an obnoxious woman with a ridiculously large smile plastered onto her face. She stared down at Sasuke stupidly. He waited for a moment to see if she'd offer any assistance to him. Whether or not he'd accept was a separate thing entirely. But Karin just stood there and continued to smile.

"Okaeri, Sasuke-kun!"

He pulled himself up and stood tall beside her. Karin held out the dish in her hand. He looked down into burnt rice and poorly cooked meat.

Without a word he walked past her and sat down across from Suigetsu who's mouth was full of Karin's food. The man looked up from his bowl and then back to Karin with Sasuke's food still extended from her.

"Are you dieting, Sasuke?" He mocked, swallowing a large mouthful.

Sasuke gave no reaction. "I ate before I came."

"It's a good thing you did. This food tastes like shit-" From the shadows, a bowl flew through the air and collided with Suigetsu's unsuspecting head. "Kuso!"

"Did anything happen while I was gone?" Karin's head snapped up. Her blood ran cold at the thought of her Uchiha Itachi sighting. She glanced to Sasuke, whose eyes were staring off. She couldn't imaging having to lie to him and decided to escape into the base before he could ask her.

Sasuke looked at the fallen food on the floor before focusing in on the startled shinobi. "Suigetsu."

He rubbed his head and shook out the small grains in his hair. "No, nothing happened." He looked back at Karin to shout an insult but found that she had already disappeared. He sighed and cricked his neck. "What about you?"

"Itachi didn't follow him. The Jinchuuriki and I were left to fight in Orochimaru's last hiding place."

"Did you go all batty," Suigetsu pantomimed wings, "on the bastard?"

"There was no need." Sasuke replied with the hint of a smile on his face that Suigetsu couldn't see.

Suigetsu had disappointment in his voice. "There was no need, ne? What the hell, did it just give up? I thought this was the Kyuubi, the strongest of the Bijuu!"

"He is." As far as Sasuke knew, the Kyuubi was all it cracked up to be. But being contained by Naruto was a great hindrance. Sasuke was still a little shocked at how easily he had manipulated Naruto. He was probably in Konoha already.

"Do you think Itachi will go after it again?"

"They won't have to." He leaned on to his knees, staring deeply into the flames. "The Kyuubi will go right to them." Suigetsu was lost. He sat there, trying to comprehend. "The Akatsuki are staging the final battle." Sasuke watched the fire lick the untouched wood, coaxing it to light.

"What final battle? Didn't this just start?" Suigetsu leaned in and placed his hands onto his knees.

Sasuke ignored him. "If they want the Kyuubi it needs to be perfect. All they need is the right bait." Sasuke knew just what it was.

* * *

The room was dim. One small lamp was lit beside the hospital bed while the monitor's green lights created strange shadows on the two sleeping faces. Sakura was beside the bed in a chair with her head resting on her hand and her legs tucked under her. Her torso was heavily bandaged, yet she was able to sleep soundly without pain haunting her. She breathed quietly, relaxed in the company of her friend.

Naruto was bandaged from head to toe. His eyes were shut tightly and his body twitched as a nightmare developed in his head.

_Naruto was surrounded in black. He felt something inside pulling him ahead. He began to run, yet gained no ground. There was something evil ahead that he had to find. It was something that he had to face. It was inescapable, an eternal dance that held his world together._

A red glow clashed with the metallic green light from the beeping monitor. It slowly rose from Naruto's sleeping form and poured onto the floor. It spread like fire to oil and, soon, Sakura's body was lit from below.

_Naruto saw a gray light ahead. There in the distance there was a floor, the cool water's surface, and above it was a glistening sword. It levitated there, motionless, as a thin trickle of blood began just below the hilt. The red moved impossibly slow as Naruto's footsteps quickened. He felt his hair bristle and his ears move up the back of his head._

The red chakra wrapped around Naruto and his body rose from the bed. The sheet fell off and onto the floor while his companion slept on. Chakra dripped from him in thick globs.

_His tail bone ached. It was like it was being swung at by an blade, being divided over and over again. It split it and it branched into nine pieces. He wasn't running fast enough. If only his feet could dig deeper into the ground. Claws formed where his bare toes were. If only his hands could pull him further. Fingernails became long and sharp. Hair as red as blood spread across his body. His knees cracked and his ankles snapped. The bones lengthened and shortened, forming thin legs made for a beast. The pinky toe slid through his skin and emerged on his ankle. His jaw stretched and his nose curled. The muzzle he possessed opened just enough for his lips to curl into a snarl._

A giant hand grasped the tile floor, holding up the body forming around Naruto, its source. The head brushed the ceiling. It couldn't fit in the room. The back of the chakra monster pressed against the walls and its legs held close, ready to push off.

A wave of unbearable heat hit Sakura and her eyes drifted open. The light was so shocking she was sure it was a dream. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. Her head sunk into her chest as sleep tried to take hold again.

_There were streaks of red beside him. The signs were blurred by his speed. His arms caught the ground in rhythm with his legs. The light expanded from the sword and the water came closer to him._

Sakura stared up at Naruto. Her eyes were deceiving her. It was a dream. It had to be. As a large tail swung by her, Sakura leapt from the chair and landed in the only place not covered by chakra. She screamed.

…

Kakashi's eyes were open the moment he heard someone bust through his front door two rooms away. He had his weapons on his side before the intruder could take four steps. He was out his door, ready, before Yamato had a chance to speak.

They were gone before five seconds could pass.

…

Sakura ran out the door as a giant translucent claw burst through the wall she had been standing against. She leaped into the adjacent room, grabbed the beds of two unsuspecting patients, and shoved them out the door down the hall, hopefully they would stop before they hit the stairs. But it was better than being squashed by the head that smashed through that wall where they had just been sleeping.

The kunoichi stared into the white eyes and looked past them to the figure of Naruto that was hardly visible through the thick covering of pure chakra. She saw light grow brighter through the door and gasped. The wall collapsed between the head and the doorway as the Kyuubi's arm broke through. Sakura ran to the window and dove out, shattering glass.

Why was Naruto's room on the top floor?

_The red streaks were from the numerous cloaks lining the path. The symbols on them were becoming clear but the Kyuubi didn't notice. Its focus was on the blood drenched sword. The blood had yet to drip from the tip. It was in suspended animation, it seemed._

_A growl ripped from Naruto's throat. "Yamata no Orochi!!"_

_Laughter sounded in response. The Kyuubi shuttered with rage and cried out, lashing out in every direction with his hate._

Sakura was looking back at Naruto in mid air. She could see his face, twisted in his internal pain, and the giant claw swinging down at her. Her body floated.

_The sword glistened as a single drop gathered. Naruto squealed in delight as his steps became numbered to his destination. The drop fell._

_Like a poison, a mixture of sickening purple and green splintered through the water. Bubbles rose from far below._

"Naruto!!" She reached out as the claw swatted her and sent her rocketing into the ground. The air whistled around her and the ground flew at her with cruel intentions.

_Shadows in the water revealed bodies breaking the surface. Their gray, stretched skin was rotted. The Kyuubi's foot landed on the adulterated surface and slumped into the heavy sea._

_Suddenly, all around him, the motionless corpses were floating and the gray fog spread. The dead eyes were all turned on him and were illuminated with a deep scarlet light deep within the iris._

_He stared, suddenly afraid as he sunk below the surface._

The permeating toxin of Naruto's chakra reawakened the wound on her side. With the pulsing feeling spreading through every part of her, she opened her eyes to see Naruto's body of light. Then, from the shadows, black posts shot at him and wove through the air. They struck and wrapped around him, squeezing.

_He could see the sword floating above on the surface. It plunged in with him._

_The Kyuubi swung his arms and legs around in the water, trying to find the surface, trying to find air. But there was none. There was just the pain of his collapsing lungs and the red eyes that looked down upon him._

The demon's inaudible cry shook her heart, the body bulged and dense pieces began falling like meteors. It reminded her of the ground. She gasped as her body shook with fear of death. It met her in a violent jolt and wrapped around her, hard and strong. In reflex, she grabbed it and held on for her life. It was much softer than the earth.

_The eyes merged and formed strange, misshapen things. They were swirling and red, clouds from a bloody sun set. The sword was just in reach when black wrapped around it and the clouds pulled together onto the cloak of a masked man with one eye protruding from the darkness. The strange swirling eye enveloped his mind as the final word turned out the lights:_

_"Come."_

* * *

In the swirling Akatsuki cloak, Itachi sat alone. His panting was loud and the sweat on his forehead glistened in the moonlight. His eyes were black and the lines under them seemed thicker than usual, revealing his exhaustion.

Another face appeared out of nothing. The silhouette of a man stood before him in a disrupted hologram.

Itachi looked up. His eyes were stark. "The message has been sent."

* * *

Has anyone else read the latest manga chapter? It was amazing. I love the new twist and I think it'll be very interesting to see how this all works out (I called it, by the way.) :D But I don't think Sasuke is like Orochimaru. I think he has his reasons to take down the people behind the you-know-what. I think he isn't the enemy of you-know-who and he'll spare and convert who ever the hell he wants to! (I just wanted to say 'hell'. I'm not getting touchy about this, I promise. ° w ° ) If you want a full description of what I think, go to leafninja .com and to 'Chapter 402 Released' (You have to scroll down a bit to see it). Then click on the 'kunai's thrown' on the bottom corner. I'm the 112 reviewer under the name IAmNotANut. It's a super spoiler so don't check it out if you haven't caught up to the manga!

I revisited Shik, Kakashi, and Asuma's fight with Hidan and Kakuzu. Kakashi most definitely confessed his love for Naruto. I about died. It's in chapter 330 page 6… Hahaha.

Karin's dream made me happy. I enjoyed writing that. It's what all good fan girls want.

°-w-° (Yes, it's blushing.)

Next Chapter – Risk

IAmNotANut


	16. Risk

I'm going to have to remove all of those comments in earlier chapters saying "Please review!" and whatnot. The _number_ of reviews isn't as important as what they _say_. Hehehe… I got a very uplifting review from Sherbet Mayhem (My favorite reviewer, as of right now) saying so…. So, thank you all very much for reviewing and motivating me! On to chapter 16… 16!! Quite a number I should say. Happy sweet 16 Eien no Kessoku!

Playlist: Ready to Fall (Rise Against), Little House (The Fray).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Risk

* * *

The hallway just past where Tsunade stood was decked with bright yellow caution tape. The top floor's west wing had been greatly damaged and rubble still littered the area. The Hokage could see the deep gashes on the concrete walls and floors where the Kyuubi had run ramped. She traced the carving lines with her eyes impatiently as a nurse finished up with her patient in the only room still available on that floor. All others had been vacated because of the destruction.

Inside that room, Sakura was lying on a clean white bed. She stared at the ceiling, counting the tiles, as a young nurse checked her vitals and stuck a fresh IV into her arm. Sakura barely noticed the notion and continued to count. When she ran out of tiles, the nurse had finished and was about to uncover Sakura's side.

Just then, Tsunade intruded.

The blond picked up the roll of bandages from the nurse's working station and stopped her hand. "Let me." Sakura's head snapped to attention at her voice. "Sit up," The Hokage commanded quietly.

Sakura did so and looked to the nurse standing awkwardly to the side.

The kunoichi smiled. "She'll take care of it from here," Sakura assured her. "You can go."

The young woman nodded nervously. "Hai, Sakura-san." She bowed to the Hokage and left without another word.

Sakura sighed. "Poor woman, she was just doing her job."

"I got bored." Tsunade lifted Sakura's shirt. "Scoot closer. I can't reach that far."

"Hai, hai." Sakura moved again and a tingling pain resurfaced. No matter how often it hurt, Sakura would never get use to that fiery feeling. "It hasn't gotten better." She grunted.

"I thought as much." Tsunade lifted Sakura's shirt again and took small scissors from the nurse's table. She cut away the old binds and placed them neatly on the side table. "Naruto's chakra has infected your system."

"_Naruto's_ chakra?" She muttered skeptically.

Tsunade looked up at Sakura, frustrated. "The _Kyuubi's_ chakra has infected your system." Abruptly, Tsunade's cold fingers probed the wound harshly. Sakura winced. "Where's your rude attitude coming from?"

"Gomen-nasai, shishou." Tsunade's harsh punishment made Sakura grin. "It's early in the morning and I'm in pain."

Tsunade didn't respond. Instead she flattened her hand against Sakura's stomach and reached around to feel her vertebra. "I've seen Naruto with a condition similar to this. The chakra acts like a poison," Sakura recalled her last encounter with the demon chakra. At that time Naruto, Sakura, and two greenhorns were hunting down Sasuke. When Naruto faced a formidable opponent in a hidden base, he lost control and his chakra went wild. Sakura stepped in and got their other teammates out of the way before they could be caught in the whirlwind, only to be hit. Then there was when Naruto fought Orochimaru himself and he attacked Sakura intentionally. In both cases, she was exposed to a small amount of the demon chakra. Sakura cringed at the thought of having that running through her _entire_ body like it was now. Once she thought about it, the pain wasn't as surprising. "But, the destructive chakra that is interfering with your immune system is watered down by Naruto's _nicer_ chakra, fortunately for you." Tsunade placed her hand back on Sakura's side. "Never the less, your body is out of commission until the chakra has time to die out. For now, all of your bodily functions and systems are being affected and this wound," she jabbed Sakura's side, "won't be getting better any time soon. You're in for some pain for however long it takes for it to be healed."

"And the bad news is…?"

Tsunade smacked Sakura's head and was received with a yelp. "Don't smart back to me!"

The kunoichi rubbed her head as she grumbled as politely as she could manage, "My leg wound is just a scar now, and my ribs are hardly a bother." Sakura lifted her arms out of the way as Tsunade dressed her side. "What 'pain' am I in for?"

"Your body is rejecting Naruto's chakra. It's thrown your nervous system, and everything else, into shock. The tension has to find a way out somehow." Sakura groaned. "Thus, I am prohibiting you from any missions until your body heals itself."

"What!?" Sakura shouted. "It's just a little pain! I'm needed out there!"

"No one needs an injured medic."

"I can handle it. If the Akatsuki make another attempt on Naruto, you'll want my help." Sakura smiled quickly. She didn't mean to sound too smug. "I'm hardly injured, you know. And my side will get better without even realizing it!"

Tsunade shook her head. "This isn't a game, Sakura. You have no idea what the chakra is doing to you."

"I said I can handle it!"

"I say you can't!"

"I don't think you understand the situation, Tsunade."

Tsunade shot up, slamming her fist onto the side table. "Sakura." She bellowed. "_You_ don't understand. In your condition, you could _die_ if you so much as push your luck. All of the people in this village, along with you, are my responsibility. I _am_ the Godaime of this village and you _will_ respect my decisions." She stared at Sakura's defiant face. "You are _forbidden_ from going on missions until you are completely healed."

The insult and betrayal Sakura displayed was shocking to Tsunade. Instead of staring back or speaking, the young kunoichi watched her pale hands gripping the sheets.

"I know that, _Hokage-sama_." Her heavy lids sunk down. "But not matter how damaged I am, I will never abandon my friends."

Tsunade looked away, pretending not to hear.

Sakura slowly slumped back and her head hit the pillow. She shut her eyes, trying to calm herself. She needed to talk to Naruto. Even though she had told him the Akatsuki's plans during the days before his recent episode, Sakura had to speak to him again before he went and did something irrational. Then again, he was bound to do something irrational regardless of what she said.

"How's Naruto." She mumbled.

"He's stable." The Hokage sighed. "But you shouldn't see him yet. There isn't anything more I can do for you. It's up to your body to fix the rest, so you're free to go." The corners of Sakura's mouth pulled up. She'd been in one too many hospital gowns for comfort. "Get outside. Let everyone know that you're okay. Ino didn't get to see you before she left again, did she?" Sakura's eyes opened up to the white ceiling, vaguely interested. "Her squad just got back from their mission." Tsunade stood and walked to the door.

"I thought I wasn't allowed out."

Tsunade stiffened and Sakura smiled. Her shishou was still edgy. "You aren't allowed on _missions_. Now, get out of here." She quickly turned and left, but Sakura was sure that she saw a small smile on her teacher's lips.

"Ha-ai." She called sleepily. Sakura rolled off the bed and yanked the IV out of her arm along with the sticky monitoring patches. After throwing on her clothes, making the hospital bed, and folding the itchy gown, she vacated the room.

Sakura's trip around the city consisted of her walking for a few minutes, stopping to catch her breath, being caught by someone who didn't know she had returned, and walking again. A half hour had passed before she finally arrived at the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

The windows were dark in the rising light of midday. Sakura strolled up through the archway and to the front door. All around her were sweet smelling plotted plants. They had small buds on them, ready for the cold weather to finally leave. Ino must have expected the weather to heat up for her to leave them outside.

Sakura peeked into the window, just in case someone was just opening up shop who could let her in, and then looked around her. When she was sure no one would see, Sakura quickly slipped her hand under the largest pot outside and swiped the spare key from underneath. She unlocked the door, returned the key to its hiding place, and flipped the "closed" sight to "open" with the jiggling bell announcing her entrance.

Sakura walked into the cute shop and around the large countertop. Ino's parents must have been by recently, the apron she removed from its peg on the wall was still warm.

The kunoichi turned on the lights and picked up a squirt bottle. She then began patrolling the shop as Ino had once shown her and watered the plants. There were vibrant colors all around her. She fell upon a small patch of Acacia in full bloom. The yellow color was warm and cheery. She looked at the label sticking out of the ground.

_Meaning: Concealed love, sensitivity…_

Sakura sighed. She loved looking at flowers, but she didn't have the patience to actually take care of them. She was lucky it wasn't her job.

Slowly, even though she tried to occupy her thoughts with flowers, Naruto's image returned to the front page of her mind. He was probably in worse condition that she was. She had seen what Yamato's suppressing jutsu had done to Naruto's body before. But after what Tsunade said about "watering down" the chakra, she could relax a little. Besides, Tsunade had said Naruto was stable. She had to believe in her shishou.

Sakura's watering led her to another beautiful flower. This one had much larger blooms, which was Ino's preference rather than the small flowers that intrigued Sakura. It was a pot of Sweet Peas. She searched for the informative label, finding it half buried in the soil. It read:

_Lathyrus odoratus (Sweet Pea) - Meaning: Delicate pleasures; Goodbye; Departure; Thank you for a lovely time._

Sakura stared at it curiously. _Who would want to get this as a gift?_ She fingered the bloom. The entangled lavender petals entranced her. _Who would say goodbye with a flower?_

A jingling behind her made Sakura freeze.

"What the hell are you doing here?" An agitated woman called as she slammed the door. "Who let you in?"

_I- it's me…_Sakura couldn't speak. She couldn't believe that Ino didn't know it was her. _It must be my hair… I haven't cut it yet._ Sakura slowly reached for the shredded toboggan that she donned.

Ino trudged loudly across the room while Sakura gradually turned around. "Talk! What are you doing-" The kunoichi had removed the hat and was now facing her friend fully with a silly smile on her face. "-here…"

"Do I really look that suspicious?"

"S- Sakura!?" Ino ran up to her friend and, without warning, knocked her head with a balled fist. "What the hell were you trying to do!? You scared the shit out of me! I thought some psychopath had broken in and was _watering the flowers_!"

Sakura burst out laughing and dropped the water bottle, hugging Ino roughly around the waist. "I missed you!" She squealed jokingly.

"You creeper, get off of me!"

Sakura laughed again and quickly released the blonde. "Calm down, Ino-pig, I'm just kidding."

The woman snatched the water bottle off of the floor and stormed to the coat rack, taking an apron. "I can't believe you, billboard-brow, you got water everywhere. Now, _I_ have to clean up after you." She strode past Sakura and began watering. "…Noisy, annoying, Sakura… Who in their right mind would be worried about you…?"

"Ino, were you _worried _about me? You know, if I died, Sasuke'd be all yours." Sakura took a watering can from the back shelf.

"It's no fun without competition." Ino growled. "I'm the _only_ one whose allowed beat you to a pulp anyway, you remember that, billboard-brow."

"Right." Sakura chuckled. "Tell me that after _you've_ killed an Akatsuki member _and_ fought off two single-handedly!"

"That old woman helped you the first time, it wasn't done _single-handedly_. and I bet you ran for your life in fear when the Akatsuki showed up."

"I never said I killed one alone, and how hard do you think it is to escape when the Akatsuki are intent on killing you?" Sakura moved her can away from the pots and poured it on Ino's shoe.

"Shut up!" Ino sprayed Sakura back, right in the face.

Sakura sloshed water on Ino again and retreated behind the counter. Ino stood there fuming before bending down and reaching into the shadows below the display counters.

"Ino, Ino, don't you dare!" Sakura grabbed a metal tray, just in time, before Ino whipped out a hose and sprayed with killing intent.

The water fight continued until both were laughing uncontrollably and wet through every layer. Sakura was sitting on the back table with her metal shield in her lap and bucket at her side.

Ino gasped abruptly and turned off her hose. She ran over to Sakura, snatched the water pail her rival had picked up, and dumped the remaining water down the floor drain.

"Aw, Ino…" Sakura managed between bouts of laughter. Without her notice, a pulse rang out inside of her with every burst of breath.

"Let's call it a draw." She slid the hose under the counter again and began drying herself. "There's a customer coming." Sakura looked to the door and saw the shadow approaching.

By the time the jingle of the door sounded, Sakura and Ino were side by side in new, dry aprons and neatly positioned behind the main counter.

Hyuuga Hinata slid in shyly and smiled at the kunoichi.

"I- I'm looking for a get well gift for someone."

Sakura smiled uncontrollably. "I'm sure I can help." She looked at Ino for approval.

Ino then whispered. "You know what Naruto likes better than I do, go ahead."

Sakura grinned and walked over to Hinata's side. She was eyeing the Acacia. It was a perky color, yellow for Naruto. The buds were small and hidden behind long fern-like leaves. The meaning fit Hinata's personality perfectly. But, Sakura didn't think it was flashy enough for Naruto.

Hinata wandered around, looking at every flower, and Sakura stayed behind to observe. While standing in silence she noticed the pulsing as light as a rippling drop of rain. The feeling bounced off the walls of her figure and slowly faded. For some reason, they always lasted the longest on her spine and sent trickles of heat all over her.

The strange phenomenon passed as abruptly as it came on and Sakura refocused on her customer who had moved back to the Acacia.

"He likes Sunflowers." The woman's voice gave Hinata a start. Sakura grinned. "They remind him of sunnier days. He hates winter, you know. And sunflowers last for a long time in a vase. They're pretty durable." Sakura stared at the lonely Acacia. These little buds were nothing compared to the flamboyant Sunflower.

Hinata also looked at the small plant, fingering the label she had read. She wanted the quiet love it promised.

"Sunflowers," Sakura began, grabbing Hinata's arm and dragging her to the large flowers in the back, "represent loyalty and longevity, a relationship meant to withstand…" She added carefully.

Hinata smiled softly. She certainly was devout. "I think… I'll get the Sunflowers."

"I suggest just a few." Sakura placed a hand on the large flower. It was glowing in the sunlight coming in from the window. She imagined Naruto's bright face when he would see them.

Without warning, the tingling rose on her back again. The memories from the night before flew at her. The white sightless madness in Naruto's eyes invaded the black of her mind. She saw the demon force itself out over and over. The prickly sensation just under her skin grew with her fearful manifested. It was a nightmare, far from over.

And the Akatsuki were all to blame. They had already taken so much from Konoha. She joked with Ino about it, but Sakura knew how lucky she was. She knew what the price would have been if she hadn't gotten away. The thought of Naruto standing before those monsters made her stomach churn.

The feeling moved up Sakura's spine and she waited for it to pass, just as before. Instead, the pain balled in her back, like an air bubble beneath the surface created by the rippling repercussion, it expanded. The wave was much stronger and a weight fell upon her. Sakura placed a hand on the countertop. Instinctive fear rocked her and her body anticipated the rush. Though she hadn't the slightest idea what was coming.

Hinata beside her reached up to Sakura. "I-is something wrong?"

The kunoichi started to say, "It's nothing-" when she shivered visibly and her shaking hand dropped.

Her green eyes widened and the bubble burst. Sakura gasped and her body contorted, forcing her to collapse against the counter. Hinata jumped back, and then quickly dove in to help.

Hinata tried to wrap her arm around Sakura to hold her up. "A-Are you okay, Sakura-san?" Sakura pushed Hinata away, the pressure of Hinata's hand –no matter how slight it was– felt like thousands of needles piercing her skin and cracking deep into the stumbled away and walked her hands across every surface she could to the back table. "Sakura-san!" Hinata followed but Sakura placed up her hand.

"Ino, could you please-" Her stomach twisted and a ray of heat immersed her. There was another bubble forming at the top of her spine. She sputtered out an order, "Ino, please help Hinata get her flowers. I-" It began growing. Her eyes glazed over briefly and she twitched. "I… need to sit down." Without knowing what she was doing or where the ground was, she ran as fast as she could comprehend, hiding behind the door reading "employees only", only to slam into Ino.

"What's your problem!" She took Sakura's forearms in her hands as the woman shook. "Sakura?"

She looked up with fading eyes. "Haha… Fuck… It hurts." The pain set her nerves on fire again; another spasm threw her from Ino's arm and into the wall. Sakura muffled her cry by biting her lip until a bead of red swelled and inched down her chin. Her fingernails dug into the wall and gave a sound as she slid down the wall. Her bottom hit the floor hard and, crying out against her bleeding lip, rolled forward to rest on her crunched up knees.

"Sakura!?"

"Sakura-san!"

Ino dropped to Sakura's side and felt her forehead. Sakura's chest heaved in exhausted pants. "You have a crazy fever. What the hell happened to you!?"

Sakura shoved her hand away. "None of your business!" She shouted. It was the pain talking. Even though she knew it was, she couldn't stop herself. She needed to release the energy. "It's none of your fucking business!" It was the pain. Blame it on the pain.

Hinata cringed away. "S-Sakura-san…"

"It's okay, Hinata. She doesn't mean it." Ino wrapped her arm under Sakura, unfazed.

Sakura thrashed but the pain didn't allow her to do that for long. The close contact was killing her. She fell limp against Ino and allowed her to move her wounded body. The heat was simmering down, but she wasn't sure she could handle another burst. She was sure it would kill her next time.

Hinata was still unsure of Sakura but, when Ino was having trouble on her own, she helped get the woman into a chair.

"Sakura, does it still hurt."

The woman couldn't answer. She was sure moving – even opening her lips – would be painful. After another moment or two, she spoke below a whisper.

"Yes."

Ino laughed. "You scared the shit out Hinata, Sakura. It was very unattractive."

Sakura smiled, it didn't hurt like she had expected. She lifted her head and looked at Hinata. "Sorry."

"I-it's alright, Sakura-san… I'm glad you're okay." She smiled timidly.

Sakura sighed and her shoulders hunched over. Ino's hand was still around her, keeping her from falling again. Sakura slowly reached up, gently pushing Ino's arm away. "Hinata's sunflowers."

"I'll get them." The blonde laughed. "I'll give her a discount, too."

"A-are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's compensation for the bad service you got." Ino glared at Sakura playfully. In those big eyes, Sakura saw hundreds of questions ready to attack her. _Great…_ She mumbled.

The two disappeared out the door. The dark room she sat in was muggy and full of out of young plants and seeds. Beside her was a stack of unused pots and a small hand shovel. She stared intently at the shovel to distract herself as the agony she had experienced dissolved almost entirely. The shadow of it would never go away, she was sure.

The jingling sounded twice, once for opening and second for closing. Then, without taking another breath, Ino was leaning over her once more with inquiry bright in her eyes.

"Spill. What happened to you, where have you been, and… why is your side bleeding?" She pointed to Sakura's wound. Sure enough, there was a small red stain coming through her clean shirt.

"Aw, damn it all." She lifted it up and felt the hot wound. "Could you help me with this?"

Ino grinned and pulled out a roll of bandages. "I'm way ahead of you. I saw it before I stepped out." She gave Sakura a hand up and they moved to the table.

"What about customers."

"I've put up the 'closed for lunch' sign." Ino dug around on the worktable for something to cut the bandages with.

Sakura hopped up on the table and waited, swinging her feet. "Hmm. That means you'll feed me, right?"

"Get your own food."

"Stingy."

"Don't start with me, Sakura. I have scissors." She closed the silver blades shut with a snap. Sakura was thus silenced. She allowed Ino to remove the bloody mess and throw it away.

"I swear. I've seen so many dirty bandages in the past few days. I'm about sick of them."

Ino laughed. "You're a _doctor_; you've been seeing bloody bandages for years. Are you just _now_ deciding this?"

"I meant my own blood." Sakura sighed. "It's so disturbing to have your own blood everywhere."

"Now you know how normal people feel." Ino grumbled. She tied off the new bandage and pulled Sakura's shirt over it. "Tell me where you got this. And what's up with your little fits."

Sakura looked at Ino, begging to be spared the interrogation. Ino didn't yield. "Fine. To answer your first question, I was blown up."

"I want more details."

Sakura rolled her eyes. Of course, Ino would. "I was caught in an explosion while battling an Akatsuki member. The rest is up to your imagination."

Ino nodded, knowing the whole story was probably classified. "Okay, question number two." She held up two fingers in Sakura's face.

The woman hesitated. She didn't want Ino the think poorly of Naruto. He wasn't in his right mind when he hurt her. He wasn't even conscious and won't remember it at all. She could hardly blame him. "I don't think I should…"

"Uh, yeah. You should." Ino stared at Sakura. Her eyes had the hint of concern in them.

She gave in again. "Did you hear about the accident at the hospital last night?"

Ino groaned. "Who didn't? I heard it from my house."

"Well… Naruto went a little crazy. He didn't do it on purpose, he wasn't in control and he-"

"Are you kidding me!?" Ino was flabbergasted. "Did _Naruto_ do that to you? That kid would _die_ before hurting you!"

Sakura clamed up, "Well, it isn't the first time-"

Ino grabbed her friend's shoulders. "Sakura, what happened to you?"

She deliberated, playing with her black hair poking out from her hat. It was wet with the sweat that had gathered on her face. "The Kyuubi's chakra messed with my system. My body is just trying to get it all out."

"Is that why you went all haywire on us? Is that really healing you?" Ino imagined Sakura's face twisted in anger and pain. "How long will it last."

Sakura tensed up. "Until it's gone, I guess." The kunoichi knew it wasn't about to end.

Ino could see that as well. "You should probably go home and rest then."

Sakura shook her head. "No, I want to see Naruto first. I haven't seen him since… last night."

"I'm worried, Sakura."

"It'll be fine. I just have to make sure I'm far from any cliffs I could throw myself off of." She chuckled darkly.

Ino glared at her. "I didn't mean that. Is it really healthy to encourage Naruto by seeing him so soon? The little love triangle you have going on in your team freaks me out."

"What are you smoking? Love triangle?" Sakura laughed loudly. "You think Sasuke loves me? Hehe… Is that a sign of your surrender, Ino?"

"Shut up, Sakura. You know what I mean." She took up the scissors and pointed them at her. "_You_ are the one suffering. You gotta choose one of them to pour your sweet, innocent love into." She heightened her pitch and squeaked at the end girlishly.

Sakura growled. "I'll kill you." Then she sighed. "I guess your right, though. I need some shut eye."

"Think about it, Sakura."

"You're ridiculous."

"You're a stubborn ass."

Sakura smirked sarcastically. "You know me too well, Ino."

Ino shot the same look right back. "That's what makes me so dangerous."

…

Sakura shut the door to her apartment behind her. The fridge called to her from the kitchen and she practically floated into the room. Her stomach had been more deprived than she had surmised. She grabbed something without even sparing a glance and began eating. Anything tasted better than hospital food.

Then she drifted into the bathroom and turned on the hot water in her tub. She plugged the drain and went into her bedroom next. She grabbed a black shirt that wouldn't show another bloodstain and was about to pull out a pair of pants when her phone rang.

Sakura ran to the cordless and swept it up. "Hello?"

"It's Ino."

Sakura rolled her eyes. It hadn't even been ten minutes. "What is it, Ino?"

"I noticed that your hair looks like shit. Would you like me to cut it for you?"

The kunoichi froze. It was such a strong memory she had with Akane. She didn't want to replace it. Then again, hadn't Ino done her this favor for her before? That time was just as memorable.

Sakura pulled of the hat and touched her hair. While staring in the mirror, she answered, "Sure, Ino. Come on over."

* * *

Blond hair stuck out from underneath white covers. Naruto's quiet snore filled the room. In the doorway, Kakashi stood, watching the Jinchuuriki as he rolled over.

"S-Sakura-chan…" He muttered. Then he abruptly sat up, flinging the blankets off of him. Kakashi watched him settle down and look up. "What's up Kaka-sensei?"

The shinobi walked over and inclined his head toward the sunflowers. "You had a guest."

"Was it Sakura-chan?"

"No, Hinata. She said that Sakura wasn't doing so well. She seems really worried about both of you."

Naruto looked up at the bright flowers. "My favorite…"

Kakashi continued. "You know, Sakura's gone through a lot recently. I think you should treat her to dinner sometime."

"What about you, sensei?"

Kakashi sighed and mumbled so Naruto couldn't hear. "In all honesty, _Sakura's _the one who owes _me_." He smiled. "Just try to take good care of her until all of this is over."

"Yeah…"

* * *

Sakura walked through the streets without her hat. After taking a long bath and putting on new clothes, she looked presentable again. She had spent so much time away from a mirror that she didn't know how her face had changed. Rings had developed around her eyes and the roundness of her cheeks, which had made her look so youthful, had become firm and mature. Here eyes were darker but the sea foam green iris was still so vibrant and alive, thankfully. Her outfit was thrown together, a gray long-sleeved shirt and fitting cotton sweats, but one could hardly notice with the wispy, super short pink hair atop of her head. She was still getting use to the length and ran her fingers through it constantly.

Sakura strolled into the hospital and was greeted by the man behind the desk. He instinctively told her Naruto's room number, which she thanked him for. Sakura walked up the stairs, remembering what she had told Ino about 'cliffs'. A bit of alarm shot through her and she was replied with a ripple in her body.

The woman stopped on the large landing in the stairwell and pushed herself as far from the railing as she could. She felt the ripple gather and clenched her fists. She couldn't collapse now. She had to see her friend. She had to get out of the stairwell. She had to move forward. She wouldn't be stopped by the pain like before.

With new determination, Sakura pushed back the ripple. Every muscle tensed and her arms and legs shook. She squeezed her eyes shut and visualized the pain, then smashed it away. Minutes passed in the dark with only the sound of her breathing to echo in the stairwell.

Finally, the ripples became softer. There was no chance of a backlash from those small pulses, she was sure. Her eyes opened and she released the wall with relief washing through her. It wasn't impossible to push it back, she knew that now. A half-smile snuck onto her face and she climbed the stairs once more.

She reached the correct floor, concentrating on the ripples for caution's sake, and as she stepped out into the hallway. Just then Kakashi turned the corner, slamming right into her.

He caught her with his arm to steady her. "Ah, Sakura, it's nice that you're up and about, again."

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." She laughed, embarrassed. But the sound of her voice was forced, her thoughts were elsewhere.

Kakashi eyed her face, seeing the gloomy attitude, and fluffed her hair. "Don't be so air headed, you'll run into walls."

She stammered, "Shut up!" and smacked his hand off her head.

He chuckled. "The new cut looks good, by the way."

Sakura's hand went instinctively to her newly shortened hair. "It's too late to compliment me, Kakashi." She moved to punch him in the stomach but her hand was caught.

Her old sensei smirked. "It's good to see you too, Sakura." The kunoichi pulled her hand and gave him a raspberry. He laughed aloud and she smiled. He never failed to brighten the mood.

Sakura waved as he went around the corner and moved on to the bundle of energy waiting in his hospital bed who had heard Sakura coming.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto tried to get up and hug her, but Sakura quickly stopped him.

"Stay in bed, baka."

He gave her a cheesy smile. "I missed you, Sakura-chan." He noticed her hair. "What's up with that?"

"Nothin' much. I'm just trying a new look."

"It's great on you." He stared at her face for a moment, analyzing her eyes. Then, with a softer expression, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad you're okay." He murmured in her shoulder.

Sakura's eyes fell. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. "Same here. You really got me going. I thought we'd lose you again…"

"Sorry."

She took in a deep breath and he released her. His smile had returned and there was a pink tinge on his cheeks.

Sakura sat on the edge of Naruto's bed and leaned her head back to look at the ceiling. "How are you?"

"I feel alright. The Kyuubi hasn't done anything so far!"

The kunoichi placed a hand on her forehead. Her fever was gone.

"How about you?" He nudged her with his covered foot.

"I've been better." She lied and tried to smile. The memory of pain slipped in.

Naruto saw it, plain as day. "How bad is it?"

Sakura rolled her head over to look at him. "Just an occasional twitch, nothing terrible." She could say that and smile. It _was_ just an occasional twitch so far and it wasn't terrible, it was worse.

He saw through that as well. Sakura wasn't capable of lying even if her life depended on it.

"But I'm not allowed on any missions until I've completely healed."

"What?"

Sakura laughed awkwardly. "It sucks, right? I promise I'll be out of here in no time at all." She should have known better. Saying that only made him worry more. "What is the Kyuubi after?" The unclean switch of topics was another sign of her lying.

Naruto moved a little, pulling his IV pack along with him. Even if Sakura didn't tell him everything, he wasn't going to hide. He sat on the edge with Sakura. "It's after this sword, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi. The Hachibi is inside of it, apparently. But we can't find it. We thought it was in Orochimaru's old body, but it was already gone." Naruto paused. "Then we had this dream-"

"Please stop saying 'we'…" Sakura's hands were clenched against her knees. "It sounds wrong."

"Okay." Naruto stared; surprised that it bothered her. "I had a dream last night of the Akatsuki. I was running on water in a really rainy place and a weird Akatsuki guy in an orange mask had the sword in front of me."

A rainy place… Rain Country, perhaps? The Akatsuki member sounded familiar. "He had an orange mask?"

"Yeah… It was a spiral pattern and I could only see one eye. It was red, too."

"Tobi…"

"Whose Tobi?"

"He was the partner of the Akatsuki guy I fought. He had a strange personality disorder. He hardly did anything, other than mistaking me for a friend of his."

"That's… weird."

"I'll have to ask Tsunade about its meaning."

"I already did. Tsunade knows what it means but she won't tell me anything! I know she's hiding it. She won't say what kind of damage I've taken on either. She just keeps repeating that I'm 'stable'."

"You don't seem that stable to me." Sakura joked. "You're a mess."

"You, too." He laughed.

Sakura smiled. At least he knew there was something wrong. His body was so wrecked when he came back. Then to be possessed so soon after… it had to be hazardous.

"I could try and find out for you. I'll ask Tsunade myself."

Naruto shook his head. "If she won't answer me, I don't think she'd tell you."

"You'd be surprised what influence I have on her, Naruto." Sakura smiled and elbowed him.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her. "Thanks, Sakura-chan."

She giggled. Naruto was amazing. He could be so hurt and fearful, but still be able to pull out a smile. Still, the circles under his eyes worried her.

"Get some rest, Naruto. I'll stay with you."

Naruto removed his arm and pointed at her. "I'm not gonna go crazy on you, this time."

"I know." She brushed his golden bangs. She leaned in, close enough to kiss him, and whispered, "'Night." Then she pecked his forehead quickly and pulled away, grinning. Naruto's face was beet red. The monitor's beeping sped up considerably.

"G-goodnight, Sakura-chan." Naruto sat there wide-eyed for a second before moving back into his bed and lying down.

Sakura watched him for a moment, debating on moving to the chair next to him or not. He stared at her eyes shift around and was startled by her commanding voice.

"Scoot over."

He did so, and Sakura plopped down beside him, resting her head on the pillow. "I'll ask her about it soon, okay?"

"Uh, yeah."

Sakura's eyes closed. "We'll talk in the morning."

"Sure, Sakura-chan." He smiled shyly.

"Sweet dreams, Naruto."

"Y-yeah."

Sakura shut her eyes and turned on her side. Naruto watched her breathing even out but her face was too distracting to sleep. He reluctantly rolled over and faced away from her. With the lingering blush on his cheeks, he drifted into sleep.

…

Tsunade walked into her patient's room to see two lying on the bed instead of just one. The pink hair calmed her immediately and she walked over to the bed, sitting in the chair. Then she tapped the girl's shoulder gently.

"Wake up, Sakura."

The woman's head turned groggily and Sakura rolled over to face her. "Shishou… you're up late."

"It's almost tomorrow. Say 'ohayo-gozaimasu' next time."

"'kay." She answered, half-awake.

Tsunade watched her pupil's eyes drift shut. "Sleep well, Sakura."

She stirred at the woman's voice. "Shishou?"

"Yes, Sakura?"

"What does the Kyuubi want?"

Tsunade's breath caught. How much did she know? She looked to the snoring boy and listened to the even breathing and heartbeat. He was out cold. He couldn't hear her. "While you were away, Jiraiya sent a message to us. He confirmed that the Akatsuki's base is in Rain Country. It's in the capitol, Amegakure."

"I see…" Sakura grumbled. "So they are waiting for him there."

"Yes. We'll have to keep an eye on Naruto. I'll send a small army of Jounin, if I have to, to get the Kusanagi no Tsurugi back and end this. I know Naruto will want to run off, but I can't let him leave."

"Why…" Tsunade watched Sakura's world fade in and out of dreams. "Why can't Naruto go?"

Tsunade was startled by the question. "The Kyuubi is breaking out."

"Hmm?"

Tsunade sighed. "Naruto is running out of time. His seal is almost broken."

"Shishou?" Sakura's eyes flickered open. Was it true?  
"If he looses the battle for control over and over like he has his body will shut down… Naruto could die in a matter of weeks."

"What can we do?"

"We can safely contain the Kyuubi if he stays here, in Konoha, until the Kyuubi releases its hold on him."

"Oh…"

She placed her hand on Sakura's head and stroked her short hair. "I'm sorry, Sakura."

Sakura hummed quietly and her head sunk into the pillow. "'S okay, Shishou. It'll work out eventually." Her voice was barely audible. "You're a good Hokage."

The blonde smiled as her student's breathing calmed as she fell asleep.

She took away her hand and stood, leaving the two to rest and dream of better days.

The Hokage's footsteps went down the hall and faded as she descended the stairs. A minute had passed before Sakura's eyes snapped open and she sat up.

She placed a hand across her knee and turned to watch Naruto. His blond hair was sticking out of the covers again and his chest rose and fell in a heaving sigh.

"You really didn't have to do that, Sakura-chan." The shinobi pulled out of the illusion of sleep and rolled over.

"You had to find out sometime." Sakura propped her head on her hands and answered with a dead serious look. "And now you know what's at risk."

"Seems we're both in a pickle."

Sakura nodded her head sadly. "I suppose so." Then she snapped back to stare at him. "But I'm tagging along, regardless of your consent. I know your plan, so you better not leave me behind."

Naruto gave his glowing grin and chuckled quietly. "I wouldn't dream of it, Sakura-chan."

She sighed and returned to her relaxed tone. "We'll leave as soon as you're out of the hospital. I have a feeling they'll want to pin you up somewhere else as soon as you're free."

Naruto grimaced. "Do they really think the Kyuubi will stop?" His last words slurred. The morning hours had steadily passed and it was reaching 3AM.

"Only you can know that, right?" Sakura smiled. "'Night, Naruto."

"Hmm…" Then sleep finally captured him, leaving Sakura alone.

She watched his face soften and listened to his light snore. She knew the stakes were high and both of them were at the end of their rope. But, not matter what; she would never let him go alone again. They had to help each other. They had to find a solution for both of their sakes. With this in mind, Sakura placed her head beside his, staring at his closed eyelids, and anticipated what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

Hahahaha… I'm sorry I took so long, but it was worth it. This is an interesting chapter. We have a few new twists and –duhn-duhn-daaa– the plot had thus thickened.

Next Chapter – Goodbye

(Don't forget to look at the upcoming chapter summary on my profile!)

IAmNotANut

◦-w-◦


	17. Goodbye

I'm so sorry, you all. I had a serious case of writer's block. I couldn't spit out a complete sentence even if I tried. (Also I was busy reading _Breaking Dawn_… It was so good! I don't care what people say, I was happy with the ending.)

I believe people are beginning to miss Sasuke. That's understandable, (I miss him, too) but please trust me to move things along!

**Songs for this chapter (In this order): **I'm Still Breathing (By Katy Perry in her album, One of the Boys) (Suits the beginning of this chapter perfectly), Cemeteries of London (By Coldplay in their awesome new album, Viva La Vida), Eternal (Evanescence), and In Pieces (Linkin Park). I'm sure you all will enjoy these songs with this chapter. I love all of Coldplay's recent songs, they're so fun! (I love MCR as well!) You'll be seeing more of Coldplay and MCR in chapters to come.

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Goodbye

* * *

Five days were never so long. It took five days of sitting, writhing in pain, and being alone for Naruto to finally be dispatched from the hospital. As Sakura had predicted, Naruto was going to be moved to a confined area and monitored. Tsunade had protested the village council, Homura and Koharu, but was eventually overruled. Naruto was scheduled to be taken in the day after next around noon. That was the _scheduled_ plan. But it wasn't going to go down smoothly if Sakura had anything to do with it.

After getting out of Konoha in the afternoon, Sakura and Naruto had half a day's trip to the village they'd hide in. They would sleep only a few hours and then run straight into Rain Country. That journey itself would take a day, if there were no delays. Hopefully, Tsunade wouldn't notice Naruto's disappearance and wait until the planned time to get him. Most likely, Sakura and Naruto would have someone on their heels as soon as they vanished.

It was a tiny window; much like the one streaked with cold rain that Sakura gazed out of. Winter was failing. Maybe it would vanish while they traveled. Maybe the snow would melt and be forgotten when they returned. Maybe the sun would shine on a brighter outcome. The seasons were changing, even if there was still a ways until spring.

Sakura's bag was dissected across her bed. Her clothes were neatly folded. This time she would be prepared with a good jacket. Her weapons were on the top of her dresser, also spread out. Other than these piles, the room looked unused.

Sakura stood against the wall to stare out of the glass. She sighed, knowing that she had to pack it all up eventually, and inertly gathered the clothes and other items, placing them neatly into the backpack. With one hand pushing down and the other ready on the zipper, Sakura was able to shove it closed. She threw it onto her pillow and moved to her closet, grabbing the large beige colored cloak she would wear in Rain Country. She threw it down and sat on it. Her bed sent a plume of dust out and she laughed quietly.

That queen sized bed was hardly used. Sakura was either out on a mission, taking the night shift at the hospital, or napping on her couch to catch up on sleep. It was a lonely room. She would have wanted her last sights in Konoha to be somewhere more homely. But Sakura and Naruto had decided to meet there at her apartment because Sakura's building was closer to the way out of Konoha, their ultimate goal.

Sakura sighed and rolled her head over her shoulders. The stress that had piled up from those five days was almost too much to bear. Thoughts of the Akatsuki were always the worst. Sakura wondered what was in store for them. What if Naruto wasn't able to keep control? What if his body gave out in the wilderness where she couldn't care for him properly? Her nerves tingled.

The Kyuubi's search for the Hachibi was driving Naruto up a wall. And since the Akatsuki had the eight-tailed beast, Naruto would go to them without complaint – right where they wanted.

Sakura winced, misplacing the pain for a physical reaction to fear.

Naruto wasn't resisting their bait as any normal person would do. Sakura's understanding was that Naruto intended to barge into the Akatsuki's lair and take the sword by force. The plan didn't look practical at all when thought through. But Naruto didn't allow her to do much thinking about it. He had a "feeling" it would work out somehow. He knew that the Akatsuki would have come after him already if it was just about _getting_ him. There was something they needed first. He knew it. Sakura didn't believe him.

A flicker of pain wove through her.

Sakura only believed in what she knew. She couldn't take the risks Naruto did. She wasn't as stable. She wanted to see a clear ending before stepping into the fire. But what worried her above all, was loosing him. And that's right where they were headed, it seemed.

Slowly, she resurfaced from the contemplation, only to be faced with something worse. Sakura had been too distracted to feel a ball gather high in her back. By the time she did, it was too late to force it away like she had in the stairwell. The kunoichi grasped her mattress. Her senses closed up just in time for her to hear Naruto knocking. He was early.

Sakura grunted as the ball slowly ruptured and storming waves tore through her body. Every nerve felt like it was being ripped out and her mouth opened, hoping for a sound to release it all. But nothing came out. It was like a muted picture.

The second and third spasms were weaker than the first, but they sprawled her half across her bed, her mouth still gaping. She wheezed and tried to move her frozen muscles while the flames spread from her spine, slowly encasing her.

A strong arm wrapped around her back, but she couldn't see who. Her vision was too blotted. She was suddenly curled into a blanket of heat that numbed her. The arm pulled her in and, to her, the malevolent energy invading her felt like it was being pulled home. The pain drained away, surprising her and leaving her empty. Sakura slacked in his arms.

She could hear voices again. "…kura-chan! Sakura-chan, look at me!" Her mouth slowly closed again and she tried to lift her head. "Sakura-chan, say something!" Her fuzzy sight turned up to see bright yellow hair.

"Naruto…."

Naruto slowly moved her so she could extend her legs and sit, leaning on him. Then he placed a hand on her forehead.

"You're burning up." He put his hand down. "I didn't know it was _that_ bad."

"Sorry." Sakura had feeling in her toes again. "It hasn't been that bad in a while. I wasn't paying attention."

"Paying attention?" Naruto kept his hand around her shoulder, holding her steady as she swayed.

Sakura gathered herself. Her head was still spinning. It baffled her that the pain had gone so quickly. She moved away from Naruto and sat on her own, rubbing her head. "How long was I like that?"

"I don't know. I'd say twenty or thirty seconds." Naruto stood and placed his hands in his pockets.

Sakura's eyes widened. The shortest spasm she ever had was three minutes long. She slowly hunched over and put her weight on her thighs. _It isn't possible. It's never come and gone like that before. _

"Sakura?" The jinchuuriki placed a hand on her back. It didn't even hurt. Her body wasn't aching. His hand was actually soothing. _Is it because of Naruto?_

She shook her head. _No, not _Naruto_ exactly… It's… the Kyuubi. If it's the Kyuubi's chakra that's causing all this, it's the Kyuubi that could stop it._ Sakura sighed in relief.

"Looks like I've found a good luck charm…" She slowly rose. Naruto quickly swept his hands to her waist to catch the leaning tower. Sakura grabbed his wrists and allowed him to stay there. She smiled up at him. "The Kyuubi made it stop. Unintentionally, I'm sure." Sakura laughed breathily. "Yes… I don't think I'll have any problems as long as I'm around you."

The jinchuuriki smirked. "It's a good thing you're leaving with me, then."

"Guess so." Sakura couldn't help but smile wider. She moved away his hands and walked over to the dresser to grab her things. Sakura's legs gave out under her a little and she quickly propped herself up against the wood. Naruto was there not a second later to wrap his arms around her and lift her so her legs hung loosely below her. Sakura laughed and she packed the rest of the items there.

When she finished, Sakura tapped on his arms. "Let go, Naruto."

"I'm not done." He shouted, squeezing and picking her completely off of the floor. Then he did a small spin, flinging her legs every which way.

"N-Naruto!"

He put her down and she looked over her shoulder to his beaming face. His energy was unbelievable. It was hard to be mad at him for being childish if it cheered her up so effectively. Sakura reluctantly turned from him and picked her weapons bag and then her backpack from the bed.

"Do you have everything with you?"

The shinobi nodded. "It's all in there," pointing to Sakura's living room.

Sakura watched him leave to gather everything and the woman gave a farewell glance to her room. Her eyes automatically moved to a small portrait on her shelf. It was their old team picture.

"Sakura-chan, let's go."

She stared at it a little longer. Would they live this out? What if this was the last time she saw her village?

"Wait a minute; can you take my stuff with you, Naruto?" She joined him in her living room and held out her bag. Naruto took it with a confused face. "I'll meet you on the way out in ten minutes. It's better if we're not seen together right now anyway…"

"Where are you going?"

She quickly reached to squeeze the hand holding her bag. "I just have to do a few things."

Sakura counted the steps to her front door and touched the small knob. With a sharp turn, it swung wide and Sakura stepped out. She took one last peek at what she could see of her apartment and met Naruto's concerned eyes. She half-smiled to reassure him and then, turning away, Sakura left her home for the last time.

The kunoichi stepped out into the streets where the rain was coming down stronger than before. She walked without noticing the puddles dirtying the hem of her long cloak that skimmed the ground. Sakura imagined that she would be very tired of rain once they reached Ame. On the bright side, it was difficult to see or hear anyone that could be sneaking out of the village.

No one stopped her while she walked. Since her traveling outfit was covered entirely by her large cloak, in a passerby's eyes it was merely to protect her from the cold. She was left undisturbed all the way to a familiar street that was practically vacant in those early hours.

The windows of Ino's flower shop were dark. Her blond friend wasn't likely to be awake yet, so Sakura removed the key from its hiding place and unlocked the door. There was a parting gift she wanted to purchase.

…

No one saw Sakura stare off into her old training grounds. No one saw where she stood alone and recalled the past. She imagined the younger version of herself complaining about this and that. She could practically see Naruto and his goofy grin. Kakashi was standing in a lax position with that book perched in his hand. Then, to the side, she watched Sasuke scoffing at all of their pointless behaviors.

No one saw her smile sadly nor heard her sigh. No one saw her walk across the grass, onto the cobble stone path, and to the memorial stone. Mud and leaves stuck to her boots as she stopped.

Names upon names of lost shinobi stared back at her. This was the point of no return. Sakura had made her decision and this was the last place she would see before vanishing. No one saw her touch the stone and look up to the mountain figure behind the village, to the faces of great leaders she had betrayed. No one heard her ask forgiveness from the friends she had left behind.

No one did but a man, who waiting to do the same.

"Sakura?"

The kunoichi turned to see her old sensei standing at the three wooden posts. "Kakashi." Her automatic reaction was a friendly smile.

"What are you doing out here?"

Her heart began thumping. If the rain hadn't been pounding around her, she was sure Kakashi would have heard it.

"I'm just visiting."

"I see." He walked up to her and stared at the stone. There was one name that his uncovered eye focused in on. Sakura knew who it was. One day, years back, she had been so curious as to ask who made Kakashi late every day. It was Uchiha Obito.

"I'm guessing you've heard that Naruto is out of the hospital."

She resisted stuttering. "Yes. I was planning on taking a walk before meeting him." Her chest was throbbing obnoxiously and Sakura took subtle breaths to try and calm it. Kakashi was sure to notice.

"Sounds good." Sakura's stomach suddenly plummeted. What if Kakashi asked to go along with her? "But I'll pass on joining you. I have some things to do."

The fluctuations of her emotions were wearing her out. "A-are you going on a mission soon?"

He chuckled as if enjoying a private joke. "I have a feeling Tsunade will ship me out one of these days. I've been lying around for too long." His body was completely relaxed, like everything in his life was going at the perfect pace.

Sakura wasn't having the same luck. It was all going agonizingly slow. She _had_ to get away from Kakashi. If he saw that she was acting strangely, she was doomed. Kakashi could figure her out without even trying.

"Then, I'm going ahead, Kakashi." She managed to say.

He simply nodded and continued staring at the names.

Sakura walked away, taking even inhales. She was extremely fortunate that Kakashi's mind was on other things.

"Sakura!"

Her blood froze and, slowly, Sakura turned. "Yes?" He was standing, staring at her with a blank face, suspicion undertones his dark eye. The woman was about to shatter under the pressure.

Then his expression made a 180 and his light-hearted gaze showed itself. "You forgot to say goodbye."

The kunoichi was dumbfounded. "Oh… Goodbye, Kakashi."

"Ja." He saluted lazily and turned back around.

She didn't wait for him to stop her again. She jogged in the opposite direction, right to the last road out of the village where Naruto was.

"What took you?" The jinchuuriki walked to meet her, his eyes were worried.

His friend sighed in response. "I was saying goodbye to Konoha."

He seemed to relax after hearing her honest response and his face suddenly became hopeful. Then, into the trees around them, they ran down and out of the village.

Sakura looked ahead of her at the physical confidence Naruto held. There was no need to worry him. They wouldn't be caught. Konoha didn't know. No one saw them escape that bracing morning. No one heard their footsteps overshadowed by roaring rain. No one knew that they had escaped into freedom, but also into a doomed fate. No one would understand why.

No one would but a man, who was waiting to do the same.

* * *

The branches whizzed by as they distanced themselves from Konoha's gates. The village they had planned to stop in that evening was disconnected from Konoha almost entirely. Sakura would know, she'd stayed there before.

By the time the plain buildings came into view, the day had come and gone. Sakura and Naruto slowed down and entered the village calmly. Their hoods remained around their faces, just in case someone would recognize them and also because the rain hadn't stopped as of yet.

Naruto scanned the area, immediately noticing a ramen shop. "Sakura-chan, I'll get us something to eat." Sakura quickly got her money out and handed him a handful of crumpled currency.

"Get a lot, please." Naruto's face brightened and Sakura smiled as he walked to the shelter. It was too easy to make him happy.

Sakura walked to a nearby building and stood against the wall where it was just enough back to block the rain. The woman crossed her arm over her chest and waited patiently. When would Tsunade find out? Had she already sent the ANBU after them?

It was lucky for them that the village was so remote. A search warrant couldn't be sent without direct connection to Konoha, which the village lacked. Konoha was tracking without a lead, which was a hopeless cause, to be sure.

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura's head snapped up. In the restaurant, Naruto was leaning out and calling her through the rain. The kunoichi went to him and quickly noted how, out of all the money she had given him, she didn't get one cent in change.

What awaited them on the table was clearly the reason why. There were a dozen bowls of steaming ramen and an assortment of side dishes. Naruto was grinning proudly at his selection and it took two three trips for them to take their order to a table outside the shop, sheltered by the canvas overhang.

Naruto didn't wait for Sakura to begin. He was already through his second bowl when Sakura crammed down her first. The sides gradually vanished and plates piled up. Sakura gave up after her third bowl and left the rest for her glutton of a friend to eat.

The shinobi laughed and shook his large belly. "I haven't eaten like that in a long time!" Naruto twisted his neck a little to see Sakura also reclining contently. "Thanks."

The woman smiled. "You owe me."

That reminded him of when he was in the hospital. Kakashi suggested he pay her back somehow. After fully remembering and, with a bit of pink on his cheeks, Naruto spoke. "How about I take you out when we get back home?"

Sakura looked at him teasingly. "Hmm, for dinner?" Naruto expected a rejection after seeing her reaction but, instead, she finished with a playful tone. "Sounds good, but I'm picking the restaurant. I'll make you eat something other than ramen."

His reply came out too quickly, "Deal!" His breath caught and his face turned red. To recover himself, he occupied his mouth with the remaining food at their table.

Sakura watched him. She intended to have dinner with him eventually. Sometime when she didn't have to worry about anything else, Sakura wanted to enjoy a night with her teammate and friend like she never bothered to when they were younger.

But everything was uncertain with their lives in the mix. Even if the chakra inside of her was suppressed by Naruto, her side was an exhausting wound. It was just beginning to heal properly because of the Kyuubi's presence and Naruto was not any better off. If they found the Hachibi, did anyone even know for sure that the Kyuubi would be satisfied?

As soon as Naruto had a free mouth, Sakura spoke. "Naruto, we need to talk."

The jinchuuriki was startled, but nodded, none the less. "Is it about the plan?"

"Yeah."

He smiled. "It's easy, Sakura-chan!" Then confidently he explained. "We'll sneak into Ame and spy on the village. When we find out why the Akatsuki hasn't attack me yet and where the Hachibi is, I'll send a message to Tsunade. By the time we're ready, the ANBU will reach us. We'll have the backup we need to take Akatsuki on."

Sakura was already shaking her head. "No, no. Listen to yourself. You're depending on luck way too much. How do you know the Akatsuki won't attack us on the way? How do we know Shishou will really send anyone? Or if they won't just take us back by force?" Sakura groaned. The plan was sounding worse and worse. "I feel like we're just playing into their hand. I don't like it."

Naruto glared at the kunoichi. "Sakura-chan, remember the reason I left." He leaned across the table. "I left because Obaa-chan wouldn't have done anything. The council was going to lock me away and leave me to rot. Even if people protested, that was the village council's irrevocable decision. I left because I had no choice." His face was serious and held no confusion in his eyes. "Doing nothing is what I'm afraid of. I don't want _them_ to get the upper hand. I have to fight back." Naruto's voice dropped. "I don't know what I'd do if the Kyuubi's power was used against Konoha… So, that's what I want to stop!"

Sakura's hands were gripping her knees. Either Naruto was trapped in the boiling pot, or he was throwing himself into the fire. Both paths were deadly. "I understand." The woman's throat was dry. "We _will _go to Ame."

Naruto smiled sadly. "Thank you, Sakura-chan." The kunoichi stood without speaking and pulled up her hood. Behind her, Naruto grabbed the plates and rushed off to the food stand.

Sakura walked away, out into the rain, biting her tongue. She wanted to believe in him. It all reminded her of Naruto's promise to catch Sasuke again. He was making the same, empty promise. But this time she was aware of the stakes. They were too high to take lightly.

She slumped against the wall again and waited for Naruto to come out. People walked hurriedly past her, thinking of only the rain. She watched them go into homes and shops alike. Some waited against the buildings like herself in hopes of outlasting the bad weather.

Sakura was startled when a small voice piped from below. "Onee-chan, do you have any candy?"

Sakura's eyes followed the childish soprano. There before her was a small girl in a pair of large, green boots almost up to her knees and a padded jacket that swallowed her. Out from the hood, long ebony curls fell. There she was met by a sweet, toothy smile and large brown eyes.

Sakura smiled and reached into her cloak. When her hand emerged, she displayed a wrapped piece of hard candy. The little girl took it with a small giggle.

"Misaki, what are you doing in the rain?" Sakura scolded softly.

The little thing bubbled. "I saw onee-chan from my window. Will you play with Misaki-chan?"

Sakura placed her emptied hand on her head. "Actually, I was wondering if I could stay with you in your inn." The girl immediately glared at her. "I'll pay this time, okay?"

"Promise?" Misaki held out her pinky.

"I promise." Sakura took it with hers.

Misaki danced around and tugged at the kunoichi's hand. "Let's go onee-chan! Misaki-chan will get you a big room!"

Sakura squeezed the child's hand and knelt down beside her. "Wait a minute. I have to wait for my friend." Sakura turned just as Naruto walked away from the ramen stand. "Hey, Naruto, are you ready to go?"

The jinchuuriki nodded and Sakura walked to meet him. He let Sakura lead and a considerably long moment passed before the blonde noticed the small lump hiding in Sakura's cloak.

"Oi," Sakura looked over her shoulder and stopped. She watched the shinobi pointed at it and Naruto knelt behind her, right in front of the tumor. "What is that?" He glared at it and reached to poke it. Before he could, a small head slipped out of the folds and glared at him, her face two inches from his. Naruto was shocked enough to fall backward. "S-Sakura-chan!"

Sakura laughed and pulled back her cloak. "This is Misaki. We met when I came through here last time."

Naruto twitched as Misaki threw her hand out. "Nice to meet you, onii-chan."

The shinobi looked at it, then at the small face, then back to the awaiting hand. "I don't really do this kind of these things." He laughed awkwardly and looked to Sakura in desperation.

"Misaki, let's go to the inn. I'm sure you're parents are wondering where you are." She tugged at the hand in her grip and Misaki followed, looking back at Naruto with mighty, tiny fury.

Naruto sighed and stood. He hurried to walk beside Sakura and Misaki dove in between them to take Sakura's other hand. She stuck her tongue out at him. Naruto growled and switched sides to stand closer to Sakura. He wasn't usually sensitive, but that kid's attitude was getting on his nerves.

Before he knew it, Misaki was standing in the middle again. Naruto stared down at the large brown eyes sneering up at him. The jinchuuriki had had enough. He glanced at Sakura's face, which was intent on the inn, and then grinned.

He looked to Misaki to see if she had changed her mind, but there she was with her smug look. With a total loss of control, Naruto balled his fist and whapped the little girl on her head.

"Respect your elders!" He snarled. The little girl stopped, staring up at him with eyes that began to tear up. Then her head drooped and a quiet sniffle came out. Then Misaki began wailing hysteria with big, fat tears rolling down her face.

Sakura whirled around and, as soon as the little girl's sad face was in view, she drew back her hand. "Naruto…" She hissed, then socked the shinobi before he could notice. Her powerful punch sent him flying and he landed on the hard cobblestone, his face thoroughly bruised. The kunoichi rounded on him. "That's what you get for hitting a child!"

Sakura scooped up the weeping girl and trudged into the inn. Naruto grumbled to himself as he scraped his face off of the floor.

While still in her rage, Sakura checked in, paid, and received her key. She was halfway up the stairs when she finally cooled off and the child in her arms had stopped crying.

Sakura stopped at her room door and pulled down Misaki's hood to find a bump under her curls. The kunoichi seethed for a moment before encasing her hand in green chakra to shrink the lump. The small thing's sniffling died down and she smiled.

"Thank you, onee-chan." She giggled.

Sakura sighed and knelt down next to her. "You better find your mom and dad, okay? I'll see you later." The child nodded and hugged her around the neck. Sakura pulled away so she could stand and Misaki danced off to find her parents.

At about that time, Sakura heard loud thumping coming up the stairs. Sakura growled and pulled a coin from her pocket. She gently fitted it into her drawn back finger like she was about to flick it. Then, looking back at the stairs, when Naruto's blond spikes showed themselves, Sakura shot the coin like a bullet at his unsuspecting forehead.

It hit the target dead on and Naruto fell back, tumbling down to the first floor. Sakura turned away and unlocked their room. Then upon entering, shut the door with a snap.

The room looked identical to the one she'd stayed in before, but, now that she wasn't half dead, she noticed things in more detail. She paid attention to the beautiful woodwork of the place and the intriguing patterns on the warm colored walls. She placed a hand on the comforter of the bed and yanked it back. Then, after folding it at the end of the bed, she looked at the pillows and tested the mattress. It was in fair condition, thankfully. Beside her and against the back wall were a large lounge chair and a small table accompanied with two chairs that hadn't been present in her previous room. The chair looked more like a loveseat with too much cushioning and an overpowering blue color that made the rest of the room look dull.

Sakura smiled at it. Naruto would probably fork over the bed to her in the end, and Sakura could see the shinobi sprawled across it with one of those small wooden chairs under his feet.

A knock came at the door. "Speak of the devil." She muttered. Sakura wouldn't admit it aloud, but she felt a little guilty for being so cruel. It was overkill to shoot him with a coin, she admitted freely. Maybe she would let him have the bed for the night.

He knocked again, louder this time. "Sakura-chan… I'm sorry, please let me in." The kunoichi rolled her eyes as he knocked again.

With new found annoyance she grumbled through the door. "Did you ever try the handle? It's not locked." As she said it, Sakura pulled off her cloak and threw it onto the table.

Silence followed and slowly the knob turned. Then Naruto's head popped in. Embarrassment was written all over his face. All he could mutter was, "Oh."

Sakura tried not to laugh at him and turned away so as not to see his pitiful face. The woman occupied herself with her bag and took out clothes she would wear to sleep in. She needed a long hot shower after traveling in all of that cold rain.

Naruto had emptied his things out onto the dresser but gave up in the middle and threw himself onto the bed. He ripped off the cloak he was lying on with difficulty, then tossed it in the corner of the room. He took the slippers he'd gotten at the front of the in and kicked them at the door where they fell. Sakura had already taken hers off and they were neatly placed at the entrance like a good guest would do. Naruto had made a mess of the room before three minutes passed.

Sakura looked at the ninja across the bed and walked to the closest bed post. She leaned on it and the wood creaked, attracting Naruto's attention.

"Oh!" Naruto sat up. "You can have the bed, Sakura. I just want to lie on it for a while."

"That's fine…" She wouldn't protest; sleeping in a bed was better for her side's healing process, anyway. She moved from the post to the side of the bed and sat. Suddenly, anxiety was overcoming her. Her hands shook against her knees. "Naruto… I'm afraid."

"What?" The blond moved so his legs swung over the side as well. He leaned on his knees to look at Sakura's face which rested against her chest. "What are you afraid of?"

"It's like there isn't anywhere to turn anymore. It's like we don't have a home to go to. I was away for so long, that I don't know Konoha anymore. How could the council and Tsunade want to imprison you? You aren't a threat to us…" She bit her tongue as she remembered the night he returned and all of the injured shinobi. She remembered when he went on a rampage in his sleep. But still, "They have no right to."

Naruto chuckled. "They have every right to. I'm a danger to you all. Don't deny it to make me feel better. I already know." He sighed and fell backward on the bed. His voice bounced off the walls of the room as he said, "I ran because I knew I could do something to change that. I knew that no one could get hurt if I was far away. I know what I have to do and so do you."

Sakura put a hand behind her to turn and see him. "You've matured, Naruto," She smiled weakly. "and you're much stronger than me. I've never been able to handle things as smoothly as you do. I'm so afraid of everything. I was afraid of leaving, I was afraid of being caught, but more than that, I was afraid of being left behind again. I don't want to loose you, too." Sakura's voice faded.

"You haven't lost anyone. Sasuke thinks about us, I know it. And _I'm_ not going anywhere." He gave her a cheesy grin but Sakura wasn't at ease.

She shook her head and pulled in one knee to hug it. "Naruto, we're not immortal. We've already pushed so far to the edge that I'm afraid we'll fall off." His smile slowly slid from his face. It was the obvious truth that neither dared to say it aloud.

They stared at each other, Sakura's cheek on her knee and Naruto's neck off of the bed with his arms spread around his head. Silence consumed them as the weight of knowing set in. Sakura's mouth opened slightly and she sucked in a small breath of the room's stale air.

"We could die."

Naruto listened to the words echo in the room. His dream, his life was on the line, just like Sakura. Sakura's life was depending on him. The Kyuubi's chakra was hurting her, but she still fought back. She was in pain and afraid, but she still wanted to be with him.

"I won't let that happen." His voice shook and Sakura at first thought it was out of uncertainty. But when she sat up and looked into his blue eyes, they held determination and rage. She couldn't doubt his look as easily as before. She _wanted_ to believe in him.

After another silence passed over them, Sakura stood. "I'm taking a shower."

Naruto rolled over to lie correctly on the bed. "I'll get off when you finish."His voice was strained.

Sakura grabbed her clothes and rushed into the bathroom. She flicked the light on and stared into her own face. Her hand rose to the corner of her eye where something shimmered in the artificial light. Suddenly anger rose in her. She felt like an idiot. She knew what she had put on the line when she left. It was her mistake to not let it sink in during the five days she spent alone.

She moved around the bathroom quickly and soon the shower was running. She striped away her clothes and stepped in, letting the water pour over her. She didn't notice if it was hot or cold, all she could feel was the overwhelming pain and the burning tears hiding under the water.

She cried quietly for a few minutes before she discovered how cool the water was and turned it up. The tension and anxious fear went down the drain. She felt like a bratty teen again, reluctant to depend on someone, but needing it so badly out of their own weakness. She had to lean on Naruto again for support or she would be lost.

She would try. Sakura must have hurt him. The shock on his face was so plain. Sakura had risked everything to leave Konoha and she didn't have an ounce of confidence in his plan? No wonder he looked so hurt. Was she so unsure that death seemed the only possible outcome? But Sakura was overanalyzing the situation. If he could just force her see that luck was a large part of victory.

The kunoichi shut off the water and it drizzled to a stop. Then, after shaking out most of the water in her hair, she pulled a towel off the wall rack and dried herself. Finally she looked to her side. The wound was healing at her normal rate around Naruto and scared tissue was forming. Suddenly, out of simple confidence, her energy swelled and she enveloped her hand with green chakra. She healed the wound even more and even if she overexerted herself, she was about to get a good night's sleep so it wouldn't affect her. After doing as much as she could, Sakura smiled contently at her side and wrapped it with her gauze. She put on her clothes and shut off the light.

She would believe in Naruto more. She had to, she needed to, she wanted to. Her thoughts settled and she smiled at the life ahead of her. Even if it was cut short, at least she died fighting for someone she cared about.

Sakura quietly stepped out of the bathroom and into their dark bathroom. Had she really been in there so long? The sun had set and the world outside was dark. The kunoichi was just about to speak when a snore interrupted her. There on her bed was a sleeping shinobi with a peaceful face. Sakura stifled a laugh and ignored the urge to kick him off the bed. His face was so calm and so, as a form of apology, she let him stay there. She walked over to the resting man and covered him with the comforter she had removed earlier. He immediately snuggled into it like a child and Sakura resisted snickering again.

She then sighed and turned to what she would be sleeping on. The chair didn't look that uncomfortable at a second glance, so Sakura walked over to it, taking the blanket draped over the back and curling up in the chair. Sakura watched at her companion, imagining the hardship and, hopefully – no – definitely, the victory they could find together. Naruto could take her there.

As her thoughts got fuzzy and exhaustion from her healing took over, Sakura muttered her goodnight.

* * *

Kakashi sat on a building adjacent to the large wall of the village. He stared at it, knowing who had passed unnoticed. His eyes swirled in a mix of anger and sadness and disappointment. Kakashi didn't know why Sakura and Naruto wouldn't trust him enough to include him. Did they think he sided with Koharu and Homura? The council's decision to contain the Kyuubi _and _Naruto was opposed strongly by most of the village, but when the Root backed them up, Tsunade couldn't refuse. She didn't want to risk setting the village against itself. If Naruto had waited around in a cage for a while, Tsunade would have surely gotten him out in a matter of days. Instead, he had to go out in the most indiscreet way possible. _It's just his nature_, Kakashi convinced himself. Naruto was never one for secrecy or patience.

The shinobi stared out after them. Sakura's performance at the gravesite was very unconvincing; the girl couldn't keep something quiet even when he didn't want to know.

"Baka…" He grumbled as he unsnapped a small pouch

on his evergreen colored vest. A scroll fell out into his awaiting hand and his other was at his mouth. The gloves he wore covered until the fingertips and when his exposed thumb met his teeth, Kakashi bit it, drawing a small amount of blood. Then, jumping down into a shelter from the downpour, Kakashi unrolled the scroll and smeared his bloody thumb across the illegible lettering.

With a small explosion of white smoke, a lone dog appeared.

"Hmm, long time no see." The dog looked up at him with a bored expression.

Kakashi's eye shut in a crinkled smile. "Pakkun, I need a favor."

The dog pondered and, after scratching his ear, answered, "Sure thing."

The shinobi's eye opened at his response and the seriousness behind his mask was revealed. From his back pocket, Kakashi removed a small folder letter. "There are a few runaways I'd like you to find."

* * *

Wow. I really finished it. This chapter was very difficult for me, I have to admit. I still enjoyed writing it once I got past my writer's block. Goodness, I had a tough time. I got so preoccupied with _Breaking Dawn_ and starting my own novel that I couldn't see a way to do everything at once. I actually considered stopping this story all together. But don't worry, I won't. I realized how much fun and experience I'm gaining from your criticisms and praise. Thank you all. You are the pressured motivation one needs when in doubt. Also, I realize that dialogue is much more fun than description, but can you blame me for exploring what I can do? If you liked it, tell me in a review or PM. The next chapter will heat things up… Hehehe… This is another peek at my opinion of Naruto's future in the actual manga.

Next Chapter – Discrepancy

IAmNotANut


	18. Discrepancy

This school year I will be able to update once week, or a few days over. I type in the morning for about 30 minutes, which is time to get quite a bit done. I write better the earlier it is, and I don't dilly dally about. If I keep this up, I'll be seeing you soon at the next chapter.

Playlist: Viva la Vida (Coldplay), Rebellion(Lies) (By Arcade Fire), Black Swan (Thom Yorke), and Soldier Side (System of a Down).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Discrepancy

* * *

Konoha's morning sky was bright, the rain of yesterday completely forgotten. Tsunade looked over her fair village but her eyes were bleak. It was time to fetch Naruto.

She had never imagined that the council would do something so drastic. Imprisoning Naruto, the beckon of Konoha, was unthinkable. They had gone too far and as long as she was Hokage, she decided, Naruto wouldn't be contained for long.

But she had no power to stop them now.

There was a knock at her office door. "Come in." Her tired eyes turned from her window and fell upon a familiar face. Naruto's first sensei stood at the door, peaking in timidly. "Come in, Iruka-kun." She called again.

His head lifted and he half-smiled at the woman. "Sorry for intruding."

"It's alright…" She sighed, moving to her desk. Instead of sitting, she placed a supportive palm on the wood "Will you get him? He'll listen if it's you."

Iruka's face dropped. "Right. We'll be back shortly." He took a deep breath and paused, hoping for her to suddenly change her mind.

She noticed. "I'm sorry. It isn't my choice."

A dry, harsh laugh escaped him. "I know."

…

From her bed, Ino rose. Her alarm had managed to turn itself off again and it was almost two hours past the opening time of her shop. It was a surprise that she didn't loose customers over her inconsistent work schedule.

She seemed to suffer from amnesia because she succeeded at tripping over almost everything on her bedroom floor. The night before was a foggy memory and she couldn't recall when she had gotten into different clothes or in bed. This was her way of waking for the past few months. The days seemed to have vanished entirely and all that was left was work and sleep. But recently the sun was waking her up again and there was more time to eat and do the other essentials of living with time to spare for staying up late. She walked around her house, in a daze.

Just as a knock came from Ino's front door downstairs, blocks away, Iruka rapped his knuckles on Naruto's apartment. He waited patiently, expecting a loud yawn and stumbling and stomping up to answer, but he heard nothing.

"Naruto?" He knocked again and placed an ear to the door. Maybe the rustling of sheets or the sound of the shower running would greet him, but he heard nothing.

Ino grabbed a jacket to throw over her small sleeping shirt and ran down the stairs sloppily. She practically slid to the front door and grabbed the knob.

Iruka tried again, jiggling the small handle into his student's apartment. "Naruto?" Then, after failing miserably, he pushed the door against its frame as hard as he could and drew a senbon from his leg pouch. He stuck that senbon into the crevice and felt for the lock. The side of the door, right where he worked, was scraped up and had jagged carvings in the wood where he had clearly picked the lock before.

It opened after a little coaxing and he entered Naruto's threshold.

"Package for you," said the young man looking Ino up and down. In his arms were filled with a small, delicate arrangement of Sweet Peas. The bright lavender, white, and blue were calm and captivating. She took the flowers, too distracted to notice the man's flirty attitude, and fumbled for some money for pay.

"They're prepaid." His voice held a secret disappointment at her disinterest, but he didn't say another word and let Ino shut her door. As she sat the gift down on a hall table she heard something flutter to the floor and land noiselessly. A small note had fallen out.

_Ino,_

Iruka walked around in the room, shock overwhelmed him. The first room was clean and empty. With a rush of urgency, he ran into the bathroom, slamming the door against the back wall as he did.

_There's a lot I can't tell you…_

The shinobi slid around the corner, "Naruto!" He burst into his pupil's room to find empty as well. His eyes shifted to the open drawers. They were all cleared out. His anger rose and he gave a frustrated yell.

_And you may not understand,…_

Iruka fled from the building with as much speed as he could muster. Tsunade's office was too far for his patients. He had too much time for worry, anger, and fear to gather inside of him.

He went past startled and questioning expressions while he sprinted to the Hokage. Without a knock, he opened the door. Tsunade was standing at the window again with a swirl of emotions reflecting off of the glass.

_But promise you'll listen to me._

The words spilt out of him before his thoughts could gather and Tsunade slowly turned, her eyes were stuck on him as it sunk in. Her hands slammed onto the desk and she leaned on it. The wood cracked under her clawing fingers. She shouted an order out loud. Damn secrecy, she snarled. Her ANBU agents were at her side before another stream of her profanities could enter the thick atmosphere.

_Konoha can't be trusted._

Ino stared at the paper with wide eyes and the more she read, the more it began to shake. Soon, she could hardly see the blurred words.

_Look to Kakashi. He'll know what to do._

The flowers' gentle, apologetic colors begged her for forgiveness. Her voice squeaked and a small sob, sounding more like a hearty laugh, bounced off the walls of her home. As it all processed, Ino's face contorted.

"No!" She growled. "No, no, no, no!" She hit the table over and over until the pot fell from its place and the Sweet Peas scattered across the hardwood. And there, near the soil, she caught a glimpse of the plant's label. It read:_ Thank you for a lovely time._ The hysterical laughter grew louder and subconscious tears rolled away from her.

_Sakura_

...

Kakashi's mind was a haze of thoughts. Sakura and Naruto were gone and it wouldn't be long before Tsunade figured it out. It wouldn't be long before the _council_ figured it out.

He had to convince himself that it was worth it. The only way to make a resolution was to act as soon as possible. The Akatsuki couldn't be allowed to recuperate and plan another attack on Naruto and the Kyuubi.

What brought him from his thoughts was a small tapping noise on the roof of his room. There were footsteps that moved quickly from one end to the other, just above his window. And, in a flicker of black, there was a masked agent in his bedroom.

"You are being summoned by Hokage-sama."

Kakashi was already up and halfway out of the door. "Hai, hai." The ANBU soldier nodded and vanished out his window again. The shinobi sighed and strolled out of his apartment building. Judging by the speedy and serious messenger, Tsunade was not a happy camper.

The floor beneath the Hokage shook as she paced in her office. The soft sounds of her clicking heals accompanied the ramblings trickling out of her open mouth. When the doorknob's inner-workings began to twitch, she didn't stop. She could tell who had entered, so she made her mumblings projected out to him.

Her words dripped with rage and exhaustion. Tsunade couldn't tell that she was yelling. "You're students have disappeared."

The man standing just inside shut the door behind him and stepped forward calmly. Kakashi's eyes were wiped clean of shame or remorse for not telling the Hokage. She was better off finding out this way. "I know."

The woman's head twisted to see him. After meeting his passive face, she looked away to the ground again and trudged even faster. "What have they done?" Her frustration wasn't diminishing.

He could see it all playing out now. "They've gone to battle the Akatsuki." Kakashi stared at her with rising determination in his eyes.

Hokage glared back at him. "You know where they are, don't you…"

"Yes."

"But you won't tell me…" Her pacing halted. "What should we do?"

"Fight with them." Kakashi walked up to her and took her shoulder in his hand. "Send ANBU… _everyone_ after the Akatsuki and end it now."

"But I'd be crossing into Rain Country's borders. The leader wouldn't - couldn't allow us to just send an army into their territory without assuming something." Tsunade smiled, hoping he'd agree.

He didn't. "Sakura said that someone was pulling strings within Rain, like the Akatsuki, and was able to send multiple units after them. Whose to say the leader isn't cooperating with the Akatsuki for protection?"

Her face became blank but her voice shook. "Are you saying I should declare war on Rain Country?"

"Yes."

Tsunade's brows furrowed and she threw off his hand. "Are you kidding me!? We lost the last war with Rain Country years ago. Are you saying we should repeat the destruction? For what reason?"

"Because we've done nothing for too long!" Kakashi took a step, pushing his Hokage back. "If this country needs security, it's from cowardly leaders-" Tsunade drew back at his insult, "-that live in the past. That war is _over_. This isn't just about Rain and Fire anymore. Every country has been affected. The Akatsuki have destroyed more than Rain alone ever did and they will continue until we are all broken apart, easy victims for conquering." He glared at her. "Are you just going to stand by and watch?"

"What would you have me do? The council will never accept…"

"You don't need they're approval! You are the Hokage. _You_, not them." Kakashi grumbled and placed his hand across his forehead. "What's happened? Where's that defiance of yours that Konoha relies on. You are the one that chooses what's best for your _village_, not for yourself. Why does it matter what they say."

"But, war is…"

"But, nothing!" Kakashi's visible eye narrowed. His words hung in the air. "You knew it would come to this and, no matter what they say, you should already know what you have to do." He took a step back. The woman recovered and stood erect once more.

"I can't do it alone." Her dominance was so weak in the room, like a candle light about to go out. "I can declare war, but I need the council behind me to win."

Kakashi shook his head; it looked like he would roll his eyes. "The council's opinion isn't important." Tsunade prepared to speak, but was abruptly awed by Kakashi as he inclined his head and went into a deep bow. "You aren't alone. You have Konoha. We will follow you. The _Godaime Hokage's_ shinobi will go to the ends of the earth for you." Tsunade shivered and released the breath she had withheld.

A knowing, that she had denied herself, surfaced. The government didn't control the people. It was the people who controlled the government. If the village decided it, Tsunade couldn't help but listen. They were her dedication. "I am nothing without my village."

Kakashi's head lifted to look at her expression. It was full of doubt and shame but also, a spark of hope and thanks. His eyes softened and his voice came subtly. "And we are nothing without our Hokage."

Tsunade nodded and her eyes shut while she caught up her breathing. When they opened again, the defiant, rebellious woman hidden behind the humble curtain busted out. "Shizune!" She roared. Her blond hair whipped around her shoulders as she flaunted out of the room. "Get Koharu and Homura together in the conference chamber. I've got a bone to pick with them…"

Kakashi held back a relieved laugh as her loud voice slowly became more distant. _Women are such hypocritical creatures… Even if they know what they want, they can't help but torture themselves over what others think of them._

* * *

The conference room was dark. The many chairs proceeding around the room were all empty. The only lights were shining on two chairs, the focal point of the room. These two seats were high, flanking one large chair with a white fabric with the kanji "fire" written on it draped over the back. But the Hokage's chair was in shadow – its proud letter couldn't be seen. The other two chairs which were occupied by Koharu and Homura.

They looked like ancient statues, unmovable and everlasting. Their faces were cold and uninterested as Tsunade slammed the far doors open and parade down the aisle to them. She stood before their chairs, much lower than they were, and also in the dark.

"Why have you called us here, Tsunade?" Koharu's voice was scraggly and dry.

Her brother finished her thought, "What is so dire that you couldn't say in public?"

Tsunade grinned at their expressionless faces. "I am declaring war on the Akatsuki."

…

A woman's feet flew through the unused halls of the Hokage Building's basement. Her long stream of blond hair fluttered behind her like a flag as she ran toward the voices down the hall.

"I am declaring war on the Akatsuki."

Ino's heart leapt at the sound of Tsunade's voice. What was going on?

Just as she rounded the long hallway, doorway in sight, she was caught by a strong forearm that threw her silently against the wall. The wind was knocked out of her temporarily as she looked up to see who it was. She was met with a small smile, squinting eyes, and black hair.

Sai's monotonous voice was a whisper. "Weren't you taught to respect your elders? They are in the middle of a meeting."

Ino sighed as he released her from the wall. "Don't do that, Sai. I thought you were an enemy." She looked at him curiously. "What are you doing here?"

His smile didn't disappear, but it faded a little. He stepped away and led her to the doorway. Ino hesitated. "They can't see us." Ino sighed again and followed. In the middle of the chamber's audience, a bandaged old man was sitting alone. Ino could tell from his features that it was Danzou. "I'm on guard duty."

Ino nodded. "I see." She listened to the council and Tsunade argue, infatuated by the calmness of the argument but harshness of their words. The only one showing their true feelings was Tsunade. "Someone said Kakashi would be here. I need to see him. Sakura has-"

Sai gave a rehearsed chuckled. "We've known all morning that Sakura and Naruto have gone. It's too late to tell him, if you ask me."

It didn't surprise her that Naruto was also gone. The day they had spent time together, Sakura could hardly speak of anyone else. "Where is Kakashi?"

Sai pointed to the other side of the observing chairs. Leaning against the wall near a closed entrance was Kakashi. His arms were crossed over his chest as he watched. She wouldn't be able to talk with him without drawing attention.

"Damn it."

Sai quickly placed a finger over her mouth. "A lady shouldn't curse. It isn't proper."

Ino shook it off. "Do you have any idea what's going on? I just heard Tsunade declaring war, isn't that more important than what I do?"

The shinobi's smile vanished. He looked at her with sincere feeling in his eyes. But he was so experienced in suppressing it, Ino couldn't understand. "Tsunade-sama wants to attack Rain Country. She thinks if they win, the bijuu won't be needed anymore and Naruto and the village would be safe for good."

Ino's tight lips broke into a smile. "What's wrong with that? I would die for that cause. So would all of Konoha. Peace… It sounds achievable when put that way…" Her eyes filled with a dreamlike light.

Sai shook his head, taking her forearm in his hand and pulling her back from the image. Ino focused on his face again but he was staring past her right at Danzou. That was an emotion she recognized there… resentment.

"What is it?" Worry flooded her. Sai's expression was so detached, but so trapped. "What's going on?"

"Tsunade-sama is defying Konoha by doing this. If the council can convince her to see reason, we can recover and avoid conflict altogether."

The kunoichi's jaw dangled. "Reason? But what she's saying is right! What about Naruto and Sakura? What about defeating an enemy we've ignored for years? Why can't we fight for that?"

"This is more complicated than you think-" Ino was getting increasingly fed up and he stopped short. The man sighed, "I'm not saying you wouldn't understand." She placed a hand on her hip and glared.

Ino continued away from that subject. "What does Kakashi say?"

Sai paused. "He's the one that suggested it."

Ino's breathing labored as she pulled away from Sai, leaning against the doorframe. _Look to Kakashi…_ Sakura's last wish still echoed in her mind. IfKakashi wanted war and so did Ino. They had to stop the Akatsuki. But Sai… "What do you think?"

"I listen to my orders. That is all…"

"Orders from whom? Tsunade is your Hokage but you won't agree with her, will you?" Sarcasm oozed in her voice. "Your Hokage is Danzou."

Sai snapped his head to look at her. Anger under-toned his blank face. "I am apart of Root. My life, my existence is in Root. I have no name, Ino. 'Sai' is just an alias."

"I know…" Her face softened. "But you have friends right? We are the ones who affirm your existence, not a piece of paper or a name. Sakura and Naruto are your friends too."

Sai's mask was up; there was no room for disagreement. "Lower your voice, Ino. You are disrupting the meeting."

The woman's eyes dropped. He was like stone. Like the rest of those statues of cold hearts. Their goal was steadfast and unknown. Sai was just like them. "I wish you luck, Sai… Because I have a feeling that things aren't going to be so easy anymore." With coldness in her eyes, Ino stepped away and a wall gradually rose between them.

Kakashi's head was cocked to the side as he caught on to the last of their argument. When Ino's infuriated eyes met his, even at that distance, he could see her holding back her sadness. Behind her, Sai stepped away to join Danzou. The old man's face was squeezed together, brows tightly knit and the wrinkles on his face pulled around his sneering nose. He was seething. His left hand, the only one he had, gripped the cane across his lap.

"No!" Koharu's seemingly gentle voice shook the foundations of the room. "There will be no war. We will send Root to fetch the Kyuubi vessel. And. That. Is. All."

Homura pulled down the tension. "It just can't be done, Tsunade. You cannot make the mistakes your forefathers made, we won't allow it." His aged voice was soothing, but Tsunade was too stubborn to listen.

"The mistake is staying behind the walls of a bomb shelter and watching the world around us go to shambles. We have the power to protect all of the five nations and what are _you_ going to do? Secure an old war trade from centuries ago? What is the Kyuubi to you but an object? This is about the future, not what lies in the past. I am the Hokage of a new age and I will bring these people into it. Even if I defy you, even if I defy Konoha, even if I must go against what a Hokage is _suppose_ to do… I will do whatever it takes to protect these people and the people of the world in hopes of a peaceful future." The skin over her knuckles was pulled tight as she pushed against the wooden chair in front of her. Her chin was high and confident. "You have lived in fear for too long."

The council sat, bewildered by the woman's outlandish challenge. Koharu simmered down, a strange knowing on her face made Tsunade's blood chill. "You have no idea. You have no idea what is upon us." The woman shook her head hopelessly. "We cannot risk war with them again."

Tsunade leaned in, "It's not the same as the last war! This is the Akatsuki and _we _are a stronger country than before-"

Homura stood with his counterpart and gave a flat command. "There will be no war. Your request has been denied. And if you are going to go against what your high council is saying you will be removed from your position and tried for treason." His eyes were pleading. "Do you understand?"

Tsunade's shoulders slacked and her chin rested on her chest. She stared at her hands for a moment, and then took a deep breath. "Yes, I understand." When she stood straight again, her eyes were dark. "I'm sorry, but…" She had made her choice. "You better find a new Hokage."

Without letting them react, Tsunade turned and walked to the exit. Kakashi was already on his way and he converged with her, both were soon joined my Ino.

"Good job, Hokage-sama." His voice was cheery and playful.

Tsunade glanced at his face with inquiry. He was grinning. "What?"

"That was quite a speech you gave, I'm just impressed." He chuckled. "It's not going to be as hard as you think to gather people to your cause."

She scoffed. "_My_ cause? It was all your idea. Besides, I'm not Hokage anymore, am I?"

Ino stared at the two of them with her mouth hanging open. They were able to joke around after hearing something so terrifying.

"What's happening, Hoka- Tsunade-sama?" Ino stuttered.

The woman looked behind her and smiled. "Are you in on this conspiracy as well? That's good to know. I have two now."

"Three. Shizune isn't going to abandon you." Kakashi added.

The kunoichi sighed. "I suppose if I count people like Shizune, We'll have the entire hospital on our side."

Kakashi threw in with a laugh, "_Our_ side?"

"Didn't I say it was your plan in the first place? You should have a say in where we go from here since we're technically on the same level now." She smiled lightheartedly. In her eyes, they had just overcome the biggest hurtle.

Ino interjected. "What's going on?"

Tsunade paused. "You'll find out soon." She looked at Kakashi and back at Ino. "Get all the shinobi you can together, whoever you think will answer." She ordered to her firmly.

Ino nodded and smiled. "Hai."

Just as they the room was going out of view, Ino looked behind her and saw Sai staring. His face was tense and she could have sworn he was shaking.

The kunoichi quickly turned from him and ran past Kakashi and Tsunade who were already whispering to each other again. She ran out of the basement and only in the light of the afternoon could she wrap her mind around what was happening. A nervous laugh slipped out of her and she understood why those two had acted so jokingly. They needed an excuse to wear their stress down.

Back in the dark, Tsunade stared after Ino. "This isn't going to go smoothly. I had hoped the village would never be forced to split like this in my time. I never knew _I_ would be the cause."

Kakashi agreed silently. "The council and Root, ne? This is very messy."

"They kept something from me. It's something about the past that I don't know about." Tsunade noted with a growl.

"Yes, that is a mystery." The shinobi sighed. "It's too bad that all the old people in this village either don't know about it, are dead, or are on the other team."

Tsunade smiled softly. She didn't understand why it fit together, but an eerie feeling told her what she had done was more connected to Konoha's history than imaginable.

* * *

In the conference chamber, the lights above shone on empty chairs. There was still an audience, almost begging for an encore. His cane hit the floor with a thud and the sickly figure rose from his chair.

Behind him was a sleek, taller man with strength and life flowing through him. He didn't help the man, only stayed behind and let him move on his own. He didn't want to touch him, as if the aging would pass into his body.

Danzou turned and his eye searched behind him until it found his follower's outline. "Sai… I have a mission for you." He deliberately paused, waiting to hear him decline.

"What is it." He answered stoically.

The older man began walking, as did the younger. "You are to resume an old uncompleted mission in Rain Country." Sai made a small noise to question 'why'. "I don't want you anywhere near the village when things go into motion. It's best you not get mixed up in our matters." His voice was dull, but apprehensive. "It's an assassin's mission, but I trust you can take it."

They reached the aisle and Sai led in front of him, waiting for a name so he could move on. "Who."

Danzou leaned forward, placing his chin just above Sai's shoulder. His whisper was haunting, "When you return, you won't have to live in the shadows anymore. You can have a name, you can have a life. No one can deprive that of you."

"Who is it." He asked again, his wish to escape was growing.

Danzou's lips curled back into a twisted smile. His voice was debilitating. Sai's eyes widened, he was thrown off by the jarring name. "Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

Tsunade sat on the iron handrail going around the roof of the Hokage's office. Her eyes were cast over the gathering shinobi and theirs were on her. Some murmurs ran though the crowd, wondering what was happening.

Shizune stood beside her with a reassuring expression plastered to her face. It was sincere, but worn out. She was still getting use to Tsunade's recent predicament. If Kakashi hadn't been with her, she might not have believed, thinking it was some sick joke. Maybe it was just a little quarrel with the council again. But their faces were too relaxed, too thoughtful.

The former Hokage stared informally at the men and women before her. There were doctors and ANBU alike standing, waiting for the rest to arrive. The roof was overfilled with people and they spilled into the level below, waiting unknowingly.

Iruka was on the level below with young Genin and academy students. They were restless, asking question after question. The room had its worker desks pushed far off to the side walls so the children could sit together in a large huddle.

"I don't know. We'll have to wait for Tsunade-sama's instruction." He tried to smile, but his face was to taunt with nervousness.

"Iruka." A deeper voice came from the hallway.

The man turned to see a familiar mask. "Kakashi, wha-"

Kakashi cut him off and beckoned him with his hand. Iruka sighed and turned to the students. "I'll be right back. Kakashi-sensei needs to talk to me."

The kids all yelled "Hi, Kaka-sensei!" exuberantly. He returned it with his famous half salute and they cheered.

Iruka turned to face him and rolled his eyes. As soon as they exited the room, he shut the door. "How can you get that kind of reaction and I can't?"

Kakashi smiled. "It's all about being aloof. If you're too enthusiastic, it isn't interesting to see you react."

The shinobi sighed. "That makes sense…" His head lifted and he glanced at the stairwell filled with people. "What's going on? I've never seen a calling like this before. Is something wrong?"

The masked man laughed. "Tsunade has been voluntarily removed from her position."

Iruka's mouth gaped. "W-why? What's happened!?"

"She declared war on the Akatsuki and the council didn't agree." He answered quickly before changing subject. "You're the one that reported Naruto's disappearance, right?"

"Yes… I did." His expression darkened. "No one knows where he is or Sakura…" Kakashi's expression suddenly became a little smug. "Don't tell me… You know where they are!?" Iruka tried to punch him, but was effortlessly stopped by Kakashi.

"They've gone to find the Hachibi and stop the Kyuubi's rampage." He looked away for a moment at the kids watching them through the large windows where walls should be. The red paint on the office walls reflected the noon sun and set rays of light around them. Their faces were almost angelic. "Naruto is dying because of the Kyuubi. The only way to keep this from happening is if he kills the Hachibi himself. The Akatsuki know where it is, so he and Sakura are going to Rain."

"That's why Tsunade is declaring war."

"Yes, they'll need all the help they can get. If Jiraiya is right, The Akatsuki have control over the leader of Rain Country."

"Then the whole country would be against us. It would be war no matter what we did." Iruka said dimly.

Kakashi's anger bled through his words. "Exactly. The council is too afraid to attack the Akatsuki full out for some reason. I haven't pulled together all of the pieces yet, but it won't be long before their true colors emerge."

"What will happen to Konoha? Now that Tsunade is doing this…"

The shinobi was ahead of him, "The village is just a puppet to the council now. If they contact the other countries before Tsunade, they'll be against us too. But, Suna will side with us regardless. Gaara will join our cause as soon as he hears it."

Iruka nodded in agreement. Then he realized something, "What will Tsunade do? Where will she go during all of this?"

He shook his head and grumbled, disagreeing with Tsunade in his mind, "She says she'll stay here. She thinks it will be better if she remains and that it will slow the council down. Tsunade knows how it will look bad to those that aren't faithful and hopes that anyone with doubt will drop out… and live."

Iruka smiled sadly and lowered his head. "Anyone here would die for Tsunade-sama…"

"That's what I said." He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and took a deep breath. "The others, civilians and children, will be moved to Suna. We can't let them be lied to by the council or held ransom from us by Root."

"Root, too?" He placed a clammy palm to his forehead. "This isn't going to be easy to fix is it? If we survive war with Rain Country, returning to Konoha would mean death." He looked up to Kakashi. "That's why whoever isn't sure should side with them and outlive this, right?"

"Yes…" He abruptly laughed. "But it won't be as easy as she thinks it is. As long as the villagers are taken care of, no one has a reason to stay behind."

Interrupting their conversation, static came over the intercom. The whole hall soon went quiet. Kakashi looked to Iruka and smiled.

"It will work out. I'm depending on you to get all of the students to Suna."

The man smiled. "And I'm counting on you to get Naruto back, safe and sound."

They clasped hands and gave a silent goodbye. Then, Kakashi launched into the room and jumped over the eager children. He threw open the window and slipped out to stand with Tsunade.

"Bye-bye, Kaka-sensei!!" They chimed behind him. He laughed openly and leapt up, landing coolly on the railing.

Tsunade acknowledged him with a confident glance. The static continued as wind ran over the microphone in her hand. Her eyes were bright and hopeful.

"Every one of you before me has been loyal for many years to this village. Some of you barely know me and I regret that. I wish I had more time to become closer so you would know how sincere I am being. I wish I had more time to explain what is about to happen in this village. All I can ask of you is to believe me and follow for the sake of the future. I am the side saying you should go to war and die to end the destruction of an uprising power." Confused voices tried to break out, but Kakashi held up his hand. They were silenced and Tsunade continued. "The council… Konoha… is the side saying live and remain uninformed.

"The world has become a lot smaller for me. I am no longer Hokage…" Some gasped, some questioned, noise gathered in the group and Tsunade had to yell over them to gather focus. "I am just a woman, a shinobi with a hope for an unhidden future. You would have few allies and you would be outcast by your own home…" Protesting yells rose. "But I am asking you to do this. I am begging you to do this." The people who hadn't spoken hushed them. They reassured them silently and Tsunade continued.

"Fight for me." People's heads lifted. They stared in awe of her confidence. The air around her was dominating. "Fight for yourselves. Fight for the next generation and generations to come." They began to cheer, pulling the doubtful up with them. "The Akatsuki are about to achieve their goal, but there is still time to stop the key from turning. Their shadow reign of fear can be pierced by our unity, not under a village, but out of your own desire." Unified shouts of 'Our Hokage! Our Konoha!' filled the roof and echoed on the mountain where her carved face stared down on them, motherly and almost submissively. "It's time for it to be your choice."

The call rang louder than her voice. "Our Hokage! Our Konoha!" They didn't need to hear anymore. Their hope and trust thrust through the saddened sky, through all despair or doubt.

"It's time for us to grasp the future."

Even the floors below called to Tsunade. They cheered her on. The rooftop was shaking from the power of the people. Pride in themselves, in their own strength made them speak as one.

Tsunade's eyes were wet. "Many will die," They had chosen. The _people_ had chosen their fate. "But it is time we struck back!"

The roar of their confidence made such uplift that the wind couldn't ignore it. A forceful gust swirled around the tower and it seemed like their message was sent across the world.

"Our Hokage! Our Village!"

* * *

The forest was chilly and silent. The animals had yet to uncover themselves and it all seemed very deserted. Against a bare tree, Deidara stared at his blond bangs swaying slowly in the breeze. Tobi was incredibly late and boredom was sinking in.

The man sighed and moved from the tree. He looked around the area, hoping to see his dimwitted partner chasing a frog or something similarly ridiculous. With another grumbling sigh, Deidara set out into the cold undergrowth.

After a few minutes, Deidara's eyebrows began to twitch and his walk had become an angry trudge. Abruptly there was a sickening squish and he stopped. His twitching eyes glared down at the floor where he had just stepped into a large pile of slush and mud. He swore loudly and kicked his foot out of the mud, sending it flying and splattering on a nearby tree trunk. He cursed again when it ricocheted and got onto his robe.

He walked away from the pile quickly, running from his secret embarrassment, and further into the forest. Without warning, he was pulled into a hushed conversation.

"…Uchiha Sasuke is to be kept alive at all costs and it is imperative that none of the rest find out where it is."

Deidara froze. He'd recognize that condescending voice anywhere. It was Tobi's jackass side. He crouched over twenty feet away and listened.

"I understand that, but it will be harder without their help. What about Deidara? He's your partner." The other voice belonged to Kisame.

Tobi laughed. "Deidara can't be trusted. He's too unpredictable and Pain would surely find out." The hidden shinobi shook his head soundlessly. What were they plotting? What was so dire that Pain couldn't be informed? _Tobi's gotta be planning something big… But why leave us out!?_

"Yeah, alright…" Kisame chuckled with him. "Deidara's mouth _is_ widespread." Deidara mouthed the words mockingly and sneered at Kisame's pun. Then Kisame's voice came quieter. Deidara froze, afraid he's been figured out. "But Itachi…" The shinobi flinched at the name. Anger was suddenly racing through him. _Uchiha Itachi… _"It's practically impossible to keep anything from Itachi."

"He's our biggest concern. It's your job to keep Sasuke and Itachi apart from each other, at least until the Hachibi is exposed to Kyuubi. It would be convenient if those brothers never met during all of this, but I guess that _is _impossible." Deidara was almost too lost in rage to hear feet move against the earth. The first set was light and only took a few steps. "I'll bring Sasuke. The Hachibi won't be able to evade me this time." The second pair of heavy footfalls hinted that it was Kisame.

His voice confirmed. "I got it. And I'll watch Itachi closely."

"It will all fall into place soon, be ready."

The shark-man laughed. "No problem." Then he pushed off the ground and Deidara listened to him run into the trees in the opposite direction. His focus came back to Tobi who was walking east to Fire Country.

The minute he was sure Tobi couldn't hear him escape, Deidara ran off, taking a wide swoop around to find Sasuke himself. Tobi and Kisame's plan still had its holes. If Itachi's brotherwas supposed to live for their thing to work, Deidara would fuck that over without a second thought.

…

Not thirty minutes after Tobi had started walking, he slowed to a halt. The scenery around him was dull and didn't draw the eye at all. But the large lump forming out of a tree close to him had his full attention.

Tobi approached it without a sign of surprise and the lump took a step out, forming a leg and, as color poured into the figure, his Akatsuki cloak showed itself.

"Zetsu, what is it."

Sure enough, Zetsu's head became distinguishable from the bark. "Deidara was listening. _He'll jeopardize everything._"

Tobi rolled his head on his shoulder, earning a sickening crack. "I know. I'll deal with Deidara; just keep your sights on the Kyuubi." He began walking away.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't need unnecessary interference," Tobi didn't pause as he carelessly added, "and it doesn't take much to kill a fool."

* * *

Well. That's chapter 18. This was a very exiting chapter for me to write. Everything has sort of… happened.

Sasuke and everyone will be in the picture again, finally. And Konoha and the Akatsuki have new opposing interests: one wants Sasuke to die and the other is willing to kill off one of their own to save him… The reversal of roles is very amusing to me.

Next Chapter – The Knell's Curse

(Song you need to prepare for **Chapter 19**: Take a Bow (Muse). This is a _must-have_ for Deidara's last scene.)

IAmNotANut


	19. Parting Knell

Playlist: Allegretto (Bond), Take a Bow (Muse), Say This Sooner (The Rasmus), Leave Out All the Rest (Linkin Park), and Breathing (YellowCard).

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Parting Knell

* * *

Suigetsu's pale finger was shoved in his mouth digging for the remains of lunch in his teeth. He leaned back on his arm, propping it against the kitchen table that he lounged on. The pack of water bottles Karin had brought back was freshly opened and Suigetsu examined the one in his hand. After chugging his third bottle, he decided that they didn't suit his taste. The packaging was cheaply made and the water itself was stale. Suigetsu spun the bottle in his palm and sighed at the waste of money, not that he wouldn't drink them anyway.

From the hallway, a pair of methodic steps grew louder.

Sasuke entered the room with aggressive speed. "Something isn't right."

Suigetsu was honestly surprised. Sasuke's unnerved side rarely showed itself. "What's up?"

Sasuke's frustrating words flowed. "Itachi should have passed us by now. Karin hasn't reported anything in days."

"Maybe her sight is getting weak." Suigetsu scoffed. _Is that all?_ Suigetsu laughed at the Uchiha's reaction. Karin would jump off a cliff if Sasuke wanted her to, it would be completely unnatural of her to keep something so important from her Sasuke.

The man didn't catch the joke. He considered it, weaving through thoughts. Where could he go if he needed another person to sense chakra? Who could he trust? He needed Karin still, but if her power was waning…

"I was kidding." He laughed hesitantly. "Why don't you just ask her? She'd try harder if you did." Sasuke settled down a little and exhaled. Then, without a word of thanks, he left the kitchen.

The lackadaisical man stared after him. The conversation had been so brief, but equally stirring. Suigetsu hopped off the table and pondered what the cause was. He could easily see Karin was to blame. She might have let it slip in her laziness or maybe, Itachi was just too good to catch. That's how he felt about the whole operation for the past 5 years. They hadn't gotten any closer to Sasuke's original goal. Sure, Rice Country was clear of any Orochimaru followers, as were all of the nations for that matter, but the Akatsuki had been left untouched. It was like Sasuke was deliberating. Suigetsu admitted that, while fighting for the past years, Sasuke had gained some important knowledge about them and was fully confident in every one of his skills. Their leader accepted nothing less than perfection now. So why was Karin lacking? Why hadn't they gotten any news? The man's curiosity made him follow Sasuke out the door.

He emerged from the base and immediately saw Karin stare at the awaiting forest. Sasuke was no where to be seen, but Suigetsu could tell he hadn't gone too far off. He was probably masking his chakra just to escape Karin's stalking nature to think.

Karin's hands were shaking. It was only a matter of time before Sasuke asked her what was going on. A week had passed and he hadn't said a thing to her. The kunoichi's throat tightened.

"Sasuke-kun…" She muttered sadly. After that stretched out week passed, there was still no sign of Itachi's return from Fire Country. Sasuke would hate her if she told him now. Even though her reason for hiding the truth was to protect him, the nagging guilt was like a time bomb, ready to go off. Karin was almost more afraid of his distrust than letting him fight to the death.

Suddenly, Karin heard someone. She imagined the angry and betrayed look on Sasuke's face. Afraid of what waited behind her, she shut her eyes and turned.

When she opened them, it was Suigetsu that stared back at her. His eyes were a mix of interest and hidden intent. It didn't look right on his mocking features.

"How's it going, Karin?" He smiled widely. Karin's lie was pasted on her forehead. She _had _been hiding something. This discovery gave him an amusing game to play. With a scrutinizing voice he spoke, "Have you seen anything weird lately?"

Karin shuttered at Suigetsu's suspicious smile. "N-no."

"Really?" She was making it too easy. "Sasuke is having a hissy fit because things are moving so slowly." Suigetsu looked off into the trees where Sasuke was most likely hiding. "Is there anything going on out there?"

"No." Her jaw was tight.

Suigetsu continued to focus away from her. "Have you seen any Akatsuki?"

"No."

"Has anyone visited the East recently?" It was interesting to watch her torment develop. It looked like a scream would explode out of her at any moment.

"No."

"Where is Itachi right now?"

Karin's voice caught. "No." _No… no, no, no… __I can't… I- I want Sasuke to live. I won't let him fight Itachi._

The shinobi's lips pulled back to show with sharp grin. "That wasn't a very good answer, Karin." He twisted his head to look at her. She was trembling. "Where is Itachi?"

"I-I don't know." Her hands fell limply to the side.

He stepped to her, now only a few inches away. "Don't lie to me." _No,_ Karin shook her head. _Sasuke can't handle Itachi. That power…_ The memory of his chakra, the direction he went, sat in front of her. "You want to make Sasuke happy don't you?" That struck her. She froze for a moment, staring up at Suigetsu with a shameful expression. Her mouth opened and shut again. _Sasuke doesn't want to be safe… He just wants his brother. He doesn't care about us… I knew that from the beginning…_

_But, maybe I can make it better…_ Tears were gathering under her glasses. "Yes." Her chin slowly dropped.

Suigetsu was a head taller than her and she couldn't see his mixed expression as he placed a hand on her hair. "Say it. Where is he?"

He looked to the trees where Sasuke was just stepping out. The man stared at him with a cold expression, waiting. Suigetsu looked away. The savage chill in Sasuke's eyes almost made him stop her, but Karin's words sputtered out before he could think about it.

"Itachi went-" She stuttered between sobs. "-a week ago, to the East."

Sasuke's figure flickered from the trees as he bolted in Konoha's direction. Suigetsu watched the shinobi disappear. Sasuke was going to leave Suigetsu entirely if he didn't get a move on, but the crying woman held him back for a little longer.

He rubbed her head like a child and chuckled. "Good girl." Her sobbing grew a little louder and he rolled his eyes. Women were so noisy.

But he pitied her. Sasuke didn't have them there to sympathize or to care about; Suigetsu knew that from the beginning. Sasuke needed them as assets. Suigetsu had never seen Sasuke full of emotion in all of their time together unless it had something to do with the past. Itachi was the only one worthy of his hatred, just as the Jinchuuriki was worth his attention and Akane worthy of his protection. Karin was of the present, and she would never be apart of his life because of that.

The kunoichi grasped his shirt and held to him as she cried quietly. He continued to pet her and leaned his head down, brushing her red hair. His hand other hand rose slowly and almost curled around her. Then he dropped it and sighed. Easily pulled away from her and walked to the trees.

Suigetsu was about to go into the shadows of morning when he looked over his shoulder. Karin faced toward the cliff for a moment to remove her glasses and wipe her tears. Then she lifted her head and looked at him.

"Hurry up." He commanded. "Sasuke won't slow down for us."

Her depression changed in a split second and she glared out, red faced. Suigetsu laughed loudly and the kunoichi sprinted to his side.

…

Sasuke's black cloak flew behind him as his feet clipped the branches soundlessly. The gears of his mind churned.

It was unquestionable that the Akatsuki knew where the Hachibi was located and that they had it right where they wanted it. The Hachibi had been inside of Orochimaru all of this time and that Akatsuki member had gotten to it before he could, that was certain. But if the Akatsuki are truly after the Bijuu, why hadn't he interfered in his fight with Naruto? He could have gotten that Jinchuuriki right where he was, Sasuke had left Naruto helpless to venture back to Konoha, but he was left alone. It was too strange. There was something more. There was something they were missing.

The Midday's sun was shinning high above and the world around him was growing warmer. In the heart of Fire Country's wilderness, crisscrossed patters cast their shadow over whatever dwelt below.

Karin and Suigetsu were probably still far away, following. He searched for their chakra in the area to find they had just left the old base. Then something strange caught his attention. There was a body of chakra sweeping down north of them. It was not as massive as Naruto or as compressed as Kisame, but flared flamboyantly like a dying flame. Then, in line with his path, there was another. The same sinister chakra from the Sound Base was just ahead, slowing to a stop. From the speed and direction, they would all collide in minutes. The Akatsuki had finally begun moving.

* * *

While the morning chill was swept away, Sakura stepped out of the hotel building. Parting in person with Misaki was harder than expected. It took half an hour just to calm her down enough to escape. It all made Sakura rethink her decision not to just vanish before Misaki woke up like last time.

Sakura sighed to herself. She didn't regret it however. It was better to say goodbye just incase their plan didn't end well. She looked around the village, to where they ate the day before, to the inn. That was the last hot meal and warm bed they'd sleep in for a while. As was the life of a soldier, she reminded herself. That was her mantra she kept in store when she missed her home or her friends. It was a job. But at least, now it was more than that. They were acting of their own volition and for their own cause. That made it worth more.

Naruto stood beside her. His face had a dark smirk on it. "Sakura-chan, it's going to get harder from here on out. Are you still sure you want to come?" He didn't try to hide his discouragement.

The kunoichi looked at him and smiled. Her mantra faded away as she stared at his confident face. If she needed someone to follow, it would always be Naruto. "I promised you I'd go until the end. That's exactly what I'll do. You're my friend, Naruto., and I will never abandon you."

The Jinchuuriki's cheeks glowed bright red and he was forced to hide them. "I know." He glanced at Sakura. Her eyes were bright and warm, but underneath she held fear, and he could see it. Sakura was afraid of death. "You have to decide for yourself sometime, Sakura…" He whispered into the breeze where she wouldn't hear and exhaled slowly. Then together they put civilization in the distance.

As they departed, a small shadow moved, trailing them into the forest. The miniature creature bounded silently. His pudgy legs moved in a flicker across thin branches. The animal's scrunched face held half opened eyes that strongly resembled his shinobi counterpart and he gave a yawn. His dog tongue curled and he let out a sigh.

"I'm out of shape." Pakkun complained groggily and he glanced back. He searched for shinobi near them, but felt nothing. "It'll be harder to follow in hostile territory… Kakashi better catch up soon."

* * *

Tsunade stared into the faces of her followers. The shinobi leaders she called gathered around her desk. Their eyes were serious and attentive. They were equals. The only difference in them now was that she was on one side of a piece of furniture and the majority was taller than her.

A voice from the entrance boomed over the rest of them. "Suna has replied to our message!"

A small smirk grew on her face. From the tone she could tell how Suna had responded. She could always depend on the Kazekage to play favorites. The room was thrown into a flurry at the news and orders flew through the air, none of them Tsunade's.

She spoke. The few waiting patiently in the front listened. "Iruka, you and the other academy teachers will take their Genin students to Wind Country. The Chuunin exams have been official closed for this year. So evacuating the village will be up to the examiners. I've already informed the majority of the civilian committee and they will help you. I'm guessing that Suna will send escorts to meet you." She looked to the man shoving through to speak.

It was the messenger. "Yes, that's right. But Suna won't wait for you on the battle field. They've already declared war on Rain Country and will be invading in twelve hours, most likely sooner."

Tsunade took a deep breath. "That certainly is news. But it isn't a surprise." She gave a thankful nod to the man and he departed. "So you all know what to do. Take whatever pace you have to. The committee says those unable to travel will be staying here, but, even so, you need to make sure none are left while on the road or pushed to exhaustion." The addressed shinobi nodded and rushed out the door.

"Some of the Genin will want to fight." Iruka spoke up.

The woman shook her head. "No, if blood is spilt, it will not be of the next generation. No, they will _all _go to Suna. If they want to fight, they will guard the villagers from enemies on the way. Am I clear?" The man lifted his eyebrow. No matter how she tried, she would still sound like a Hokage. Iruka didn't mind, it was comforting to have a strong leader.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

She rolled her eyes at the formality. "Just 'Tsunade' will do."

He bowed, ignoring her request, and left with the others to report their new mission.

Tsunade sighed and looked to Kakashi who was relaxing against the back wall, out of the way. She plopped down into her chair and leaned her head back with an exasperated exhale. "This is harder than I thought. I don't mind making a mess everywhere I go, but I've never had to clean it up myself."

"It's called karma." Kakashi chuckled.

Tsunade muttered, "I guess so…" before jumping into serious matters. "I've called Team Kurenai, Gai, and Asuma."

Kakashi heard her, but remained still. He was trapped in a cloud of thought. "Tsunade, where will you go from here?" The woman looked up at him; his eyes were angry and knowing. "It's best for you if you evacuate like the rest of them." Tsunade smiled sadly.

There was a knock at the door.

"Tsunade-sama!" A boisterous man in a green outfit burst into the room.

The kunoichi's shoulders relaxed as her eyes lazily drifted from Kakashi's face. "Gai," As they filled in she counted them. "I'm glad all of you could make it."

"What's the situation?" Shikamaru boldly interjected, silencing the older shinobi and earning silent thanks from the whole room.

"We have just confirmed Suna as an ally, so our numbers will be able to match and, possibly, surpass Rain Country and the Akatsuki. But we need specific leaders for the groups so attacks can be coordinated on the run."

"Didn't Suna send a plan?" She shook her head. "I see, so we'll be improvising our attack?" Shikamaru frowned on the idea. "That puts us at a disadvantage. Then again, we would have to make them wait and the element of surprise would be lost." He thought aloud, not aware of the people around him listening intently. "It's for the best. When we get there, backing them up will be easy."

Tsunade smiled. "Yes. It seems like we have a good chance. Returning is what's going to be difficult. Suna is already accepting the village population, but I doubt they can handle their injured along with ours."

The stoic voice of Neji cut in, "We could keep reserves ready to take back the village."

TenTen shook her head. "There are people staying here, right? It would be too dangerous to fight inside Konoha."

"What can we do…?" Ino looked around the room. Each of the shinobi present were the cream of the crop in their own way. She suddenly felt small, not able to speak as if they were gods.

"I will try and negotiate with the council. If the Kazekage gets involved legally, they will most likely change their minds. Those old bats don't want to risk pinning themselves against Wind Country as well as Rain. But I'm afraid there is something wrong with all of this. I will stay here and find out what I can."

There was a disagreeing grunt from behind. "It's pointless to stay." A dissatisfied grin flashed in Kakashi's eyes. "They won't let you. They'll probably kill you as soon as we leave."

Tsunade fired back, "There are many villagers that need me here. Besides, the council can't get rid of me. If any of Konoha's adversaries knew that I was no longer Hokage, they would take that opportunity to attack. The council needs me alive." That mitigated his concern only by a little. She went on. "And I won't be entirely defenseless. Shizune and a few of the ANBU are refusing to go, along with the hospital's non-shinobi employees." Kakashi rolled his eyes. Tsunade would use any excuse to ease a crowd. Kakashi couldn't fight back with her. She was determined to stay and he knew it would be impossible to convince her otherwise. "But I need all of you to fight. The heads of the shinobi clans are to lead their own and communication amongst them is crucial.-"

"Wireless mikes will work."

Tsunade flowed right along with Chouji's suggestion. "-Yes, and I want at least two Special Jounin in a squad. We have very few medical ninjas, but if each one is responsible for one or two groups it'll be alright. Keep your numbers below eight." Gai and Kurenai nodded. "Jounin to Chuunin ratio should be 3 to 1 in every team. I will not risk sacrificing inexperienced soldiers." All of them agreed silently. The Jounin leveled shinobi had few years of experience behind them, but little in warfare. It wouldn't be an bloodless battle, but at least they could try. "Gai, Kurenai, gather your teams." Tsunade dismissed them. "Shikamaru, I'll need you to command all of them from the rear. I know you will be able to act quickly, so they'll be depending on you."

The shinobi sighed. "Troublesome… planning a full scale attack with what little information we have…"

The woman grinned. "You can do it."

"Yeah, yeah…" He moved to the door and waited for a moment.

"The rest of you have a separate mission." Kakashi pushed off of the corner, anticipating Tsunade's words. "Kakashi, you explain from here."

The shinobi walked in front of them and gazed at each face. His eyes landed on Shikamaru for a moment. The Jounin was relaxed against the doorway, listening for the fate of his comrades. "We are going to find Naruto and Sakura and help them directly. Naruto will be in the heart of the battle, undoubtedly, and this mission will take lives."

Tsunade was unsettled. "This isn't an order. The choice is entirely up to you."

There was a pause. The eight looked around at one another. Small smiles swept throughout.

"No objections here, sir!!" Lee gave an over zealous salute. TenTen sighed and slapped him on his back. Neji rolled his eyes.

Kiba placed his hand on Akamaru's large head. Man and beast growled excitedly. Shino's contentment was clear even while hidden by his dark glasses. "Sounds good." Hinata's white iris was lined with sadness, but founded in determination. She wouldn't let her comrades down.

Ino's face darkened. Though they were grinning, she knew what uncertainty was playing underneath. But they couldn't fear the future. She glanced back at Shikamaru. He smiled at her, "Good luck." She turned to Kakashi and Tsunade with Chouji and nodded.

The Hyuuga prodigy stepped up, "Just give us a direction."

The children, the students, the soldiers, the imminent rulers of their world welcomed the bloody battles and potential death with wide arms. They were the people to be voluntarily incarcerated in hell and, during the time most crucial, they would be the ones to overcome it.

"We leave now."

* * *

_I'll kill them. I'll kill them for betraying me. For lying to me… _Deidara's hands went to two pouches on the sides of his pants, throwing back his Akatsuki cloak. His feet made steady thumps on the trees, countered by the random sounds of chewing.

He took out one hand. _I'll kill him._ From his palm, a small folded up bird sat, staring with hollow eyes. _I'll kill Uchiha Sasuke. _He forced in a little chakra and threw up the bird. In a cloud of smoke, it grew to twice Deidara's size. He leapt onto it and rose above the trees. He threw out his other hand and another giant bird appeared.

In the air, he could see Sasuke standing as if he was waiting for him. But, his focus was the other way, to the trees.

"Where is Itachi." His dead tone carried through the air.

The equally void voice Deidara heard answer made him twitch. "I can't tell you." Tobi was completely relaxed on the ground. That voice, the same one Deidara heard spouting treachery not long ago, was the same one he had to depend on in this fight. He knew that to win against Sasuke, he needed a partner. But, unfortunately, playing dumb wasn't one of his special skills.

"Where is the Hachibi."

Tobi merely laughed. Deidara sneered at his partner and glanced at his second bird. He cast out the creation and sent it on Sasuke. Tobi noticed and his laughing stopped short. "The Hachibi?" His eyes remained on Sasuke as he snuck out a foreboding phrase. "Someone isn't paying attention."

The two clay birds nosedived and Deidara jumped off. Sasuke's head flicked up and the moment he saw the birds, his hands went under his cloak and grabbed something.

"Katsu!"

The birds exploded in unison and Sasuke disappeared beneath them.

Deidara landed and ran to Tobi's side. "You helpless wimp… Did you think you could fight him on your own, nah?" He laughed and pounded the shinobi on the back.

"I-I'm sorry, Deidara-sempai." His soft, childish voice returned. Deidara barely kept from glaring at the fake personality. At least _he _was keeping up his mask. Deidara certainly wouldn't last.

They looked to the crater as it cleared. Sasuke stood, wrapped in the body of a burning serpent. The summoning quickly vanished and the scroll rolled away.

"Looks like he's got some skills!" He chuckled. "I still can't believe Orochimaru was done in by a brat like this, nah..." Sasuke glared at him. This loudmouth was going to be a nuisance. "Oh! Such malice," He mocked. "I like these eyes of his, Tobi!"

His partner shook his head and muttered as if trying to keep it from Deidara, "I'm going to have to apologize to Itachi-san after this…"

"Yes, I guess you will. It's too bad I'm going to finish off the only other damned Uchiha right here and now."

In a flicker, Sasuke closed the gap between them and unsheathed his katana. He sliced through the air at them, Deidara jumped out of the way just in time, but it went straight through Tobi.

The shinobi toppled and Sasuke smirked. "One down. You seem to like to talk, so I'll ask _you_ about Itachi."

Deidara smiled and grabbed more clay. His hands quickly chewed and he launched a fleet of small bugs at Sasuke. While he was distracted, Tobi rose and rushed out of the way. Sasuke's hand lit up with the Chidori and he threw lightening senbon at the small projectiles. They hit their mark and, in reflex to Tobi's movements, pinned them to surround him. Sasuke stared in awe at the shinobi. He had definitely cut into him. But not only was Tobi _alive_, there was no blood on the ground or on Sasuke's blade.

"Whoa, sempai! Timeout!" Tobi scooted away from them, "Don't detonate them!"

A strange smile came across Deidara's face as he yelled, "Katsu!" over his partner's cry. His heart stopped for a millisecond as the expected boom didn't follow.

"Sempai! Behind you!" Deidara's head slowly turned. "Behind you!" He looked into those Sharingan eyes and threw out a bomb.

"Katsu!" The two were blown apart, Sasuke into the trees and Deidara into the clearing.

Tobi ran to him and looked over his shoulder at the fading smoke and singed tree. "What's with you, sempai? I told you not to-" Deidara's face was contorted in a furious concentration on his chewing hands. When Tobi saw what appeared on them, he grinned.

* * *

The earth rumbled in the forest. Sakura looked around her, "Naruto did you hear that?" The thought of explosions made her body ache.

"Yeah… It's a battle." Naruto looked around. "Can you tell who it is? You're better at sensing than I am."

"Sure, give me a second…" She stopped on the forest floor and shut her eyes. Her chakra fingertips stretched across the horizon and one strong flame called out to her. "It's Sasuke!" She looked again. Her blood ran cold.

Naruto saw her face. "What is it? Who is he fighting?"

"It's those two from before. Tobi and Deidara of the Akatsuki…" Sakura opened her eyes and looked at her teammate. "What should we do?"

The jinchuuriki placed a hand on his forehead. "I was hoping we wouldn't have to go into battle so quickly, but… Are you sure it's Tobi? The other Sharingan user?" The woman nodded. "Then we go. I need answers about the Kyuubi. Maybe he'll know…"

Sakura took a deep breath.

"How far off are they?"

She fumbled for a time. "I'm guessing ten minutes."

Her nervousness was making him worried. "You alright?"

"I haven't been in a battle mindset in a while." She gave a hesitant smile. "But I'm ready."

"Good." He could trust her with that. Sakura wasn't going to quit on him.

He led the way and neurotic adrenalin pumped into both bodies. If Sasuke was there, they couldn't help but go.

* * *

The shinobi held out his creation and in a burst of white smoke, a giant dragon stepped out. He looked at his partner, unable to see the exited expression under his mask, but still weary of his loyalty. He gripped his fists. _I have no choice but to trust him…_

"You know what to do, Tobi." His voice shook.

The masked shinobi placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I've got it covered, sempai." Tobi's voice still held his hypocritical innocence.

After brushing him off, Deidara put his hands into a seal. "Go get 'em!" From the dragon's mouth, ball after ball of explosive clay landed on the ground.

Tobi gave a short salute. "Hai!"

From the trees, Sasuke stepped out. He quickly analyzed the clay creation and Tobi. But before he could see what the dragon was producing, a smaller monster was upon him. After an attempt to dodge, he was followed and it exploded right on top of him. Sasuke was blown back again. When he escaped the cloud, Tobi and the small bombs were gone. Deidara and his dragon flew up, above the smoke.

Sasuke grumbled to himself, _A long distance fighter? I'm at the disadvantage. _Another soprano chirping grew louder in Sasuke's hand and he shot the Chidori out at them. It stopped short and he cursed. Deidara took the opportunity to send another miniature dragon after him, as Sasuke avoided it, his foot sunk into the ground. He took in a startled breath and the curse seal came to life, consuming his skin.

"You're mine now, nah!?"

The earth beneath Sasuke's feet erupted and he was swept up in the explosion. His giant wings tore from his back and flapped, launching him off the ground. In the air, they wrapped around him and kept the brunt of the attack at bay.

He hit the ground hard and stood with difficulty. The debris landed in short bursts of noise that echoed on the clearing. His eyes refocused on his enemy and on the small figure coming out of the ground.

"Everything's all set, sempai."

Tobi stared up at him, waiting. His hands were hidden in his cloak and all that he could identify from that height was the bright orange mask. The man's body was too relaxed. He was too quiet. Deidara shivered at the bad vibe coming from the ant sized shinobi and growled as kindly as he could. "Get outta here."

"Hai." Tobi stared at Deidara for a second longer then calmly walked off the battle field.

The shinobi was shaking with the built up rage. "Don't step on any mines, Tobi…" He spat.

Deidara didn't have a prayer of hearing his voice become deep and flat as he retorted, "You won't need to worry about that, Deidara."

Sasuke looked around with his Sharingan at the packets of chakra deposited underground. There were only a dozen or so on the vast battlefield while, when he looked closer at the forest, he spotted a large cluster at the edge of the trees and more and more spread underneath the forest. Sasuke stared bewildered at the random placement. That shinobi had plenty of time to plant the whole field, but instead made the battleground the safest place? It was bad for his partner, but Sasuke wasn't about to let the chance slip away from him.

The tail of Deidara's dragon lost another link to it and a large bulge developed in its throat. "Here comes the big one!" A large, fat dragon – closely resembling a plummeting air balloon – flew toward Sasuke. "I'm clipping your wings right now, you little bastard!"

Sasuke tried to get out of the way, his wings came in front of him but when the explosion struck he heard a sickening ripping sound and was thrown backward. Out of instinct, a charge of electricity ran over him and, at the same instant, his katana was blown from his possession. He bounced on the ground, skidding to a stop. His body ached and blood trickled from his ears. The painful sound reverberated in his head as he tried to make sense of his body. His left elbow was being drizzled on by a warm sticky liquid and suddenly he was aware of the absence of his wing.

"Guarding with those wings cost you. You can't fly anywhere with just one!"

Sasuke's mind was tugged to focus and he pulled himself up. He gripped the thin metal wire in his hand that he had almost forgotten and tugged.

Deidara was laughing to himself. _They can't beat me. I don't need Tobi, or the Akatsuki, or anyone anymore! I'll kill him. Then I'll kill Itachi! The Uchiha will never look down on my creations!_ "Time to end this!!" From the dragon's mouth another large bomb was forming. The shinobi's face flickered with insanity. The sound of bombs was like sweet music, one after the other. The levels, the clouds sweeping across the bare, destroyed land… It was all so perfect.

In the background, the sound of metal cutting through air disrupted his concentration. There were two large shuriken headed right for him, he dodged effortlessly, moving the dragon to the side. He looked to find Sasuke again. The fool was jumping to the side. _There's nothing but mines there!_

Sasuke's foot contacted the earth and he took a second bound. Deidara's eyes widened. _W-where are they, nah!?_ He landed once more, right on the hilt of his katana.

The speechless Deidara watched him ascend and how, with a flap of his sole wing, he gained even more height. The dragon began pulling away, but Sasuke's lightening blade couldn't be avoided. The wing of Deidara's dragon dropped like a rock and the beast went into a spiral dive… right into the edge of the forest where the mines were waiting.

Sasuke saw where he was destined to land and snakes slithered out of his skin, they coiled around a nearby trunk and swinging him into the shelter of the trees.

The Akatsuki member produced a bird and grabbed hold, staring back at the dragon about to land. His face turned forward and he was met by two windmill shuriken that wrapped him in their wire, hauling him back. The shuriken stuck into the dragon just as the world around him was suddenly enveloped in blinding fire and light.

* * *

The smoke was being blown into their faces by the breeze and finding foothold was becoming more difficult.

"What's happening?" Naruto yelled over the deafening blows.

Sakura called back. "It's the mines. He uses mines in his attack."

The blond shielded his eyes from the hot air. "Where's the other one!?"

"He's gone… Sasuke might have killed him." Sakura choked out before going into a coughing fit.

"We have to stop for a second." Naruto was with her in a second, placing his arm around her waist and pulling her to the lower level. "You can't push yourself…" He looked around. The battle was so close. "I don't think you should fight. I don't think you can take it."

"What are you talking about!?" Sakura pushed him off. "It's just the smoke. I'm fine." Her chest was throbbing. The pain encircled her torso. The Kyuubi's sleeping chakra, even while suppressed by Naruto, was taking advantage of her weakness.

"We'll stay below the trees. It won't be as bad-"

"But the mines!"

"You have to believe that it will be alright." He stared at her for a moment and took her shoulders in his hands. The weight of Kyuubi's presence lifted immediately. "I won't let anything happen to you."

She gave one barking laugh. "You're insane."

"I know." He grinned. "Just trust me."

They moved with more success in the undergrowth, clear of smoke. Still, they stayed close to the trunks, avoiding the open ground where mines could be as they neared the battlefield.

* * *

He was still alive. His starving mouth found the clay and he collapsed on the bird it created. The heat was still all around him. Even while blinded in the smoke, he could see the red fire on his Akatsuki cloak. He quickly ripped it off and let it sail to the scared ground.

He burst out of the clouds and, setting his eyes on Sasuke who was free of the curse seal, boomed through the forest, "I'm not dead yet!"

Sasuke glared at him. "He just won't give up."

He roared, "Don't give me that condescending look, you little shit!" _Those eyes…_ Deidara cursed. _It's those eyes…_ His frantic hands grabbed a handful of clay each and he shoved them into his mouth. The chakra gathering in his mouth stung and when the clay dripped down his throat he gagged. He rolled forward and a fountain of the chakra packed clay poured out.

On the earth two thick lumps of clay took hold and grew from the bottom, up. The figure lifted its head and took a large step, crushing a handful of tree as it did.

"This is my C4 creation! Try to escape now, Uchiha Sasuke!"

The monstrous clay imitation of Deidara locked it's sights on Sasuke. _That thing is huge… if it explodes…_ The shinobi pushed off the tree and bolted through the forest.

The bird Deidara rode on swerved in the air to maintain balance. "Oh, come on! Don't just run like that!" He put his hands into an earth seal, "Katsu!"

The gargantuan replica expanded. Sasuke looked over his shoulder in time to see it rupture. A wave of relief built up when the explosion didn't follow, but instant realization made his stomach flop. There was a giant cloud of chakra coming right at him.

"Art is a bang!" Sasuke was captivated by the giant cloud. The creatures inside the cloud disintegrated before his eyes. Deidara cackled and set his arms open. "Vanish!"

Deidara watched from a distance as Sasuke's body was eaten away like the rest of it and laughed victoriously. "This is a masterpiece!" he imagined the small C4 bombs, invisible to the naked eye, infesting everything. The secret terror, the horror it must have been of dying from the inside.

The shinobi sighed, his shoulders dropped. Slowly he pulled back his bangs from over his eye. It was closed. "I guess I have to thank Itachi for this." He opened it. The pupil, unlike his left, was the size of a pin prick. He looked around, searching the forest for the tell of Sasuke's Sharingan illusion. He was still no where to be found. After training for so long against the Uchiha's special technique, it had finally paid off. His eye was perfect…

The high pitched squeal of energy snapped him back to reality. Those eyes… those eyes were on him still. Deidara slowly turned to see Sasuke with his lone wing balanced by a nest of knitted snakes. He landed on the bird and thrust the Chidori through Deidara's shoulder.

"You're chakra is spent." Sasuke's voice was strained. "You've lost."

"Y-you…"

Sasuke smirked. "I easily avoided your attack, with these eyes it was no problem."

Deidara imagined the dying Sasuke. "Your Genjutsu…"

He twisted his hand in Deidara's back. "Tell me where Itachi is."

The shinobi ignored him, "It's not over yet." Suddenly his body lost structure and practically melted off Sasuke's arm. From below, inside the bird, a hand grabbed Sasuke's ankle. Then another, and another. There were thousands of hands wrapping around him. Birds split off and they all began to fall.

Sasuke struggled against the hold of the clay and looked into the trees. Deidara was limping in the opposite direction. His leg left a bloody streak after it on the thawing ground.

The shinobi growled and tried to pull away. The bombs all around him were compressing. Veins of black ran through them and they hardened. Sasuke jolted himself with the Chidori and shook his body out of the solid mass. He turned and began running, gathering speed with his wings.

He felt the ground rumble but the sound was too distant. He searched and rising above the treetops was a plume of smoke. Deidara's chakra trace was gone.

At the same moment, the writhing clay monsters abruptly stopped and the land around him was wrenched apart in the fiery blast. Sasuke was blown through the woods, into trees, scorched by flames, and lost in the aftershock.

* * *

The buried bombs around Sakura were all going off. Distracted for only a moment, the next branch became out of reach. She gasped and reached out for anything to grab as she fell. Sakura stared at the forest floor where her foot was about to land. In horror, her toe sunk into the soft earth. She leapt to the side and it exploded, knocking her into a tree trunk. She looked to Naruto who was leaping over a chain reaction of explosions.

"Run, Sakura!" The mines were in between them, pushing them further apart. "Run!" She looked frantically to find a way back to Naruto but only caused more of the bombs to detonate. Sakura could hardly see Naruto's face through the flames as he shouter at her. "It's okay, just run!"

Sakura couldn't see him escaping from the other bursts and her terrified heart beat faster. Her hands trembled as she turned from him and ran in the opposite direction, driven by the primeval instinct to live.

Trees were being unearthed and swallowed in the fire. "I'll find you!" She screamed above the repetitive quivers of the mines. As she turned to flee, the kunoichi was struck by shame knowing that she had broken her promise to stay with him and sped away blindly while the smoldering branches licked at her heels.

* * *

Deidara gripped his arm as he stumbled away. He stared at the path ahead of him sleepily. His eyes ached, his whole existence ached. But at least he would avoid some of the explosion. Sasuke wouldn't be so lucky, even if he tried.

Without warning, there was a small sound from below and his next step teetered to a halt. There was a wire stretching underneath the foot holding his weight. A physical click vibrated through the _hollow _underground and he cursed. His mouth drew into an ironic smile as, at the tug of that wire, twenty or so bombs detonated and unleashed a deadly fire upon the forest.

His arms, his legs, his body was eaten alive by the tandem chimes of the land mines that Tobi had wrongly – no, purposely – planted. His dying heartbeat was like the tolling of a bell and, in his symphony, he would fade into a eurhythmic state. Deidara's last tingling sensation was out of bliss that at least the Sharingan hadn't defeated him. Tobi had.

* * *

The raging fire was spreading and smoke around him moved in giant heaps, churning as if living. Around him were the coils of a serpent, covered in a wild fire. Sasuke crawled out of the bundle, feeling the dying heat of the beast under his burning fingertips.

He tumbled out and put out his hands to prevent from slamming into the scared earth. The man stood and placed a palm on the summoning's side to hold him up. His head spun and he slipped from the snake, stumbling forward. It was then that he realized his heavy panting. There wasn't enough oxygen in the air.

"I…" A rumble of a hum came from the serpent. The shinobi stared into the yellow iris of the enormous snake. There in its eyes were three shadow tomoe frozen in the gold. As Sasuke willed it, the mar faded. "You… used me…" Sasuke's breathing slowed and he looked up to the curled beast. His Sharingan glowed mercilessly. "With those eyes… I was controlled." Even though the fires around him licked his skin, the body of the snake was becoming cold. "How… dare… you." The shinobi was captivated and watched the serpent's face as life faded from it. Orochimaru's favorite toy had finally left the undignified binds of the living.

Sasuke gave a small grunt and pushed off the burning corpse into the fires around him. He grasped his arm with a shaky hand, attempting to hold himself together. While gasping for clear air, he reached the edge of the crater. The trees around him were black and loose rock was imbedded like meteorites in the trunks and deep into the ground. His head hung as lack of air tried to pull away his consciousness.

He was going to pass out. He was going to roast in the infectious flames that were growing, encircling him. He couldn't run. His chakra depletion had already gone past a normal person's limit. He could hear Orochimaru's voice deep inside calling to him.

_"You are going to lose, Sasuke…" _His hiss sent shivers down Sasuke's spine. _"You will not reach your goal. You will never avenge your family. Itachi will win." _It wasn't the fire that made his blood boil. That voice was so sickening that it threw him in between a series of raging flares and chills. _"There is only one way out." _Sasuke shook his head, knowing what he'd say next.

"You will not have control." He sputtered out of frayed lips, singed by heat.

The serpent gave a chuckle. _"Then you will die."_

Sasuke's knees collapsed. His senses were slowly etching away. The heat was turning into a frightening ice. He had little fear, but knowledge that soon it would carve up his body.

Just when his eyes began to close, he felt the demon's power inside of him shift. Orochimaru would come out whether he wanted him to or not. He twitched and his hands found strength in them again, just enough to push off the ground. The devil wouldn't come out alive, he swore inaudibly.

He rose again to his knees and looked above him at the tower of smoke. His head practically floated as awareness grew dim. He stared at the gray shadow as it rose into the atmosphere and for a moment, there was a breath between the black clouds and he could see the blinding sky. For the sake of ending free, he would die in the fire. But the slithering ball of evil inside would smother with him.

Like a wall of brick, he was hit from behind and his eyes shut. The wind rushed by like cool water against his radiating face. He was flying, free of the fires. But the feeling was bitter. Regret was knotting up within him. Itachi was alive. He couldn't die yet. If he had to give in to the devil, he would. He had done that before, he could do it again. He took in a breath and the frigid stream flooded his lungs. It wasn't consciousness or fire that filled him. It was air. It was clean air. It wasn't death's freedom that covered him, it was escape.

Sasuke's eyes opened and the trees before him were not coated in heat. The fires were going past him in flashes of light and a thin arm tightened around his torso. He lifted his head, finding that it had gone back to its normal weight on his shoulders.

Grasping onto his ashen body was a pale kunoichi, staring ahead with relief seeping into her tight eyes. Her short hair was bright pink and clutched closely to her head, framing her features.

A sharp pain struck Sasuke's throat when he tried to speak, but a small sound managed to slip out. The woman's attention turned to him and he stared at her smooth face. Her cheeks were flushed and he noticed the short and quick expansion and collapse of her diaphragm. Her sea foam green eyes were trapped in his like a frightened mouse. For a moment, he really wondered if she had impersonated Hidaka Akane, this shivering little thing.

As she was staring at his injuries a little more worry gathered behind the green glass and she reluctantly looked away.

Sakura's grip around him adjusted uncomfortably and she stuttered. "I'll give you medical treatment once we're safe." Sasuke shook his head and sighed through his dry throat.

"I'm not going back." She jumped at the sound of his voice. It was gaining strength already.

"Back? Back to where?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Back to Konoha."

The kunoichi surprised him with a humorless laugh. "Neither am I…" He gave her a curious side-glance. "… and neither is Naruto." Her words trembled and sporadic pieces of information jumped out, almost unintended, but grateful that there were volunteer ears open to them. "We couldn't stay in the village anymore… Naruto has to find the Hachibi."

Sasuke was surprised, but not enough to miss a beat. "Or what."

The woman tensed and answered quietly. "The Kyuubi's chakra will kill him. Naruto's body won't last for much longer." The vision of Naruto's fragile shell in the grasp of an angry fire demon flickered in his mind. Naruto could barely hold onto his life in that cage at that time. What would have happened if Sasuke hadn't interfered?

"Why are you with Naruto." The more he spoke, the less pain plagued his throat.

Sakura's eyes softened for a few seconds when she looked down at him. "He would have gone whether I liked it or not… but he knew I'd never let him go alone if I could stop him." She didn't seem satisfied with her response and she tried again, straining to remove all bitterness from her answer. "He's my teammate and my friend. If he needs me, I want to be near by." Her face became a little red as her eyes wandered away from Sasuke. The shinobi didn't overlook her point of reference. As Akane, she often used that against him in their arguments, even if their stories were meant to be separate.

Sakura's tired eyes search ahead blankly. They brightened only a little as her running slowed and she descended from the trees. Sakura walked to a fallen trunk and gently released Sasuke. He tried to support his weight for a moment, but at the stiff pain in his arms made him give up. Sakura slowly put him down and he allowed her to move his limbs. Her serious face was wrecked with worry once more.

"Where is Naruto?"

The woman froze and she stared at him in shock. He stared back and thought her shock unnecessary. Her thoughts were clearly elsewhere and it wasn't hard to figure out who the focus was.

"I don't know where he is…" Regret flushed her face. "Deidara's mines separated us." Her hands stopped on his chest. Sasuke was dumbfounded as her viridian iris filled up with glossy tears.

Sasuke would have rubbed his temples if his arms didn't feel like lead. "Naruto can handle himself." The kunoichi searched for honesty in his words. Sasuke was becoming steadily more agitated with her incredulous attitude after everything he said. The Kyuubi wouldn't think twice about coming out, and Sasuke was sure that Naruto's control was better than before anyway. The cage had been shut at the Sound Base and the Kyuubi wouldn't be able to open it again. "Stop worrying about him, it's annoying." Sakura glared at his insensitivity, but stopped when his black eyes met her. Her eyes were reddening and a tear dragged down her face as it was trying to fall without his notice. Sasuke was flabbergasted by that expression and something spilled out in the confusion. "Don't cry."

His appearance became soothing and tension blew away from her. Sakura's knee slipped down and she straddle him for a moment. Her arms were draped on his chest and his head was tilted up to face hers. A hand went to her face and felt the heat on her cheeks. Then, realizing how they were positioned, she pushed off, earning a grunt from Sasuke, and scooted a little further back. Sasuke glared at her for inflicting purposeful pain on him before seeing her rubicund face and settled down without a fight.

Sakura quickly dried her eyes and the blush covered her face. "I'll cry if I want to." She looked away for a moment, embarrassed. _Don't cry…_ His words ran through her head and another flushing wave covered her face. Seconds passed, she gave up on settling her heart and quickly got back to Sasuke's injuries, avoiding eye contact while she gained control over her emotions.

Sasuke gazed at her concentrated face. Though he would never admit it, he was equally embarrassed. The heat pulsing in him was turning his reason to mush and his slip up was more like a leak of something never meant to be said aloud.

The lenitive healing chakra eased his pain and he was able to relax for a moment. He sighed and her pink hair fluttered. Her peach colored eyelashes flickered up to look and her green iris soaked in his fever induced smirk. Sasuke's head lolled forward and his nose brushed hers as his mind went into a hazed sleep.

"Thank you."

…

Naruto stood on a sturdy branch, panting. He took in all the clean air he could, as if it were the last. His head ached and his legs were twitching. Hot blood pumped in his veins, full of fear and power. But it was all falling away quickly now that he was in a safe zone. Naruto let the energy drain from him and he slid down to a seated position. He inspected his body; there were no injuries, but he was being taken by fatigue. The Jinchuuriki relaxed his head and waited for the pounding to fade. The ringing in his ears made his hearing muted, he couldn't tell someone was approaching.

"Naruto." A stuporous man called from below.

The shinobi looked down, recognizing the voice for Sasuke. He was right in one aspect: the eyes that bore into his were crimson with hidden derogative swirling just below the surface.

* * *

Next Chapter – TBA

IAmNotANut


	20. Paths We Take

Roxnroll, you are my 200th reviewer! Tfhank you so much for making my day… It's always a good day when you pass 200 revifews.

On a different note: I have a surprise for you…

**This is the last chapter of Eien No Kessoku.** Yup, you heard me. This is the final chapter. But I still have a ways to go until it's actually completed. I am going to create a sequel after plotting up the rest of the story for a while. It won't be until '09 that I'll start the continuation of EnoK.

Playlist: Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap), Somewhere I Belong (Linkin Park), No Games (Breaking Benjamin), Come On Closer (Jem), The Show (Lenka), and Feel Good Inc. (Gorillaz).

Disclaimer – I do not own any of the artists or their songs I have mentioned in this fan fiction. I also do not own Naruto. I am simply a dedicated fan who loves to write and hopes to gain some experience from writing on the internet. Maybe one day there will be fan fictions for the things I write and publish. That hope is all I cantruly own.

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

Paths We Take

* * *

The great gates of Konoha rose high above their heads. Tsunade gazed upon them, knowing the doors that she had once protected with pride would close on her for good. The air was stale and the thick walls around the city closely resembled a tomb.

The people of the city had all gone and the last of the shinobi were disappearing into the shadows through the small opening in the doors. But there was one small cluster that had yet to leave. They stood quietly, observing Tsunade from a distance.

The woman broke from her thoughts and noticed their gaze. She approached, "Root will stop you if you don't go now." She tried to laugh and ease their minds. "They didn't attack when we were all together, but I'm sure they won't mind picking off stragglers."

A silver haired man chuckled. "They can't take us on."

The younger shinobi smiled half-heartedly. They were distracted by the world around them. The streets were empty and the buildings seemed colorless in the evening light. Some street lights flickered to life above their heads. It seemed so drained when compared to the lively childhood memories they had made together.

The sun was setting on Konoha.

"You can still go with us. The council can't stop you."

Tsunade tried not to glare at Kakashi. The hopes of the shinobi around him lifted. But Tsunade was quick to snuff out that foolish dream. "Kakashi, you know why I can't leave."

Before one of them could begin persuading, Shizune landed beside the former Hokage in a flicker. She placed a hand on her shoulder, "Tsunade-sama, the council is-"

She brushed the kunoichi off. "I know…" Tsunade stared at each member of Kakashi's team and responded firmly. "I _have_ to stay. The ANBU will take care of me. You don't have to worry about the village anymore, so please just focus on helping each other and staying alive." She bid them farewell. "It's up to you now."

But, just as she turned to leave, Kakashi caught her and pulled something out of his vest pocket. It was a small, strangely shaped kunai. "If you ever need my help…" He planted it in her hand and gave his signature grin, as sincere as they came.

Tsunade recognized it immediately. What sat in her hand was the key to the previous Hokage's special technique. "Kakashi, I can't take this… This is the Fourth's-"

"What good is it if it's never used? If you're ever in trouble, I won't be long." He bowed and walked to the gate. The remaining eight gave their own goodbye and followed.

Even before they were completely out of the village, they felt a rush of fresh air. The world was warmer on the outside. The ghost of Konoha wouldn't haunt them for long. It startled them how alienated they were from their own woods, from their own country. They were strangers in a secret world of lies and manipulation. The rest of the earth was welcoming them, pulling them away from the freezing waters Konoha was sinking in.

They stepped out of the gate's wake and slowly turned, watching for Tsunade behind the wall. Maybe she would follow. Maybe Konoha would go back to that of their childish days.

At the top of the gate, an ANBU signaled below and the doors creaked to a close. The barrier around Konoha was being sealed once more, and Tsunade's last chance would soon slip out of reach. The last thing she saw of the outside world was the squad, staring at her over their shoulders.

One spoke above the rest, though Tsunade couldn't tell who over the screeching gates against rock, she could hear the doubt and shaky comfort in their voice. "We'll be back before you know it." They tried to smile, immediately ashamed at the way it sounded, but the gap shut before they could say more. Tsunade's eyes widened slowly, realizing for the first time that she wasn't going to step into those trees again.

She was hit by a wish to escape, like in her younger days, and run away from what she feared. But she remained.

"Have a safe trip." She muttered, seconds too late.

Shizune stood back patiently but spoke with urgency, "Root will be coming for you… We should go to where the ANBU can better protect you."

"Protect me…?" She sighed. "We don't have to keep up that anymore, Shizune. The older villagers are the ones that need protection."

Shizune was shocked. "What do you mean? The council wouldn't dare hurt them, would they?" Tsunade's expression gave the answer. "We can't… There are four hundred people. The ANBU can't take care of all of them! Why didn't you tell them?-"

"They knew. They understood-" _what the council would do to them, _"-and chose to stay anyway. I will do what I can, but it's like Kakashi said: I'm here for show. The council needs me alive until it can fend for itself…"

Shizune felt her cutoff words drizzle into nothing. Tsunade wasn't listening to her anymore. "Tsunade-sama…"

The woman kept staring at the doors as if waiting for them to open once more. "I told you we wouldn't live through this. I told you to leave… You should have gone to Suna like the rest of them…"

"Who could leave _you_ here? You have no sense of reality anymore." She gave a frail laugh. "Who would take care of you?"

"So…" She seethed. "It's because I'm your superior. Because I'm _Hokage_…"

Shizune was silent.

"You knew the probabilities of living. Why didn't you go!?"

Shizune imagined all of the years she'd been following Tsunade. Why had she never just stayed in one of the towns they passed through? Why had she never had a home of her own or family to turn to? Tsunade's tired eyes were turned on her. It looked like she would topple at any moment.

Shizune was suddenly ashamed. She thought Tsunade was being selfish by not leaving. It looked like Tsunade was waiting to die because of pride. The truth seemed plain and simple in front of woman's eyes softened. She stepped up to Tsunade and wrapped her small arms around her, squeezing timidly.

"Because I'm your friend… Tsunade. I've always followed you and I've always been here for when you need me... because I feel _right_ here and because you know me best." She pulled away. "S-so, you have to do whatever you can. You can protect this village…" The woman paused. "You will always protect this village and not because someone tells you to, but because you _want _to."

"What village."

"This one!" Shizune struck back. "Do you intend to die here? To just let it come when it does? There are still people here, Tsunade. They are here for you!"

Tsunade stared at her feet. She didn't want to defend a village. The only thing she wanted to preserve was an idea, a freedom that didn't have to be searched for in a different town or country. A freedom that can be made and upheld by the people. She wanted to protect a place where she didn't have to run anymore or search for power or meaning. That's what a home should be. She smiled and laughed. Without knowing it, she had settled. Konoha may be gone, but the soldiers were still fighting for something. They were still willing to die for something. Konoha may be gone, but the people will still hoping to return someday. "I guess that's right…" The gate seemed to shrink in her eyes. She didn't need to run away. Konoha wasn't the home, but what they loved was still here, hovering above. It was the life they had created together, their own sense of freedom. "I still have some things to do, don't I…" She took in the gate for the final time and turned to her village. Tsunade glanced at Shizune. "Thank you."

Together they walked into the streets. To rid the world of a weed, Tsunade had sacrificed the great village her predecessors raised. The old tree had been stripped of its people and its core was infested by parasites. But the war wasn't over yet. Only the illusion of peace was rotting away. The roots were still there. The fear of infection hadn't been eliminated.

Above the streets, a commotion rose. Tsunade looked up at the rooftop, ready to fight as two ANBU met in air. Both were masked. The only difference between them was who had a Konoha symbol on across their forehead.

The one without an emblem landed in front of Tsunade with his back to her. Four others landed in a defensive formation around them.

"Tsunade-sama, stay back." He took out a kunai and Tsunade focused on the attacker.

The shinobi held up a hand. "Please stop. I came to speak to you." He removed his mask and Tsunade stared at Sai's passive expression. There was no attempt at a smile on his lips. His eyes were dead.

Tsunade boldly stepped away from her security. "What is it you want?"

He was already putting his mask on again, "The council is willing to speak to you, though I have no clue why they'd waste time with traitors." Tsunade noticed his eyes glanced away.

Empathy surged in her chest and she spat back, "Speak for yourself, Sai. Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi,… Ino…" The porcelain shell's band snapped into place around his head. "They've all sided against you. You're alone."

He was silent to her prodding. Just as he stepped away, he muttered: "You have one more chance… Don't anger them anymore." Sai leaped high in the air and pushed off the walls of buildings. He wouldn't look back. All that mattered was the next mission and Sasuke had been waiting long enough.

Shizune's hands were shaking. Root was so confident; it seemed as if they had already won. And if there were those like Sai, following mindlessly, they would show mercy to no one.

A warm hand landed heavily on her shoulder. "We have a shot." Tsunade smiled at her assistant. The gears were turning faster than before. Sai seemed to give her a boost, though Shizune didn't know why. The woman seemed desperate to act. Time was running short. "Shizune, I want you to search all of the village files. Every single one. Look into any strange occurrences or disappearances since the Homura and Koharu started working under the Third."

"Why?"

Tsunade started to walk a little, then turned on her heel, not listening to her assistance's confusion. "There has to be something in the last thirty years. Look everywhere, no matter what level of secrecy." She looked at her body guards. "I want Black Ops at her side at all times. Get her where she needs to go."

"Why?" Shizune pressed again.

"I want to know what the council is after. Danzou is afraid of something."

"But I have no idea what to look for!"

Tsunade looked to where Sai disappeared and sighed. It was the only way to get a clue. "I guess I have no choice but to pay them a visit."

Shizune's blood ran cold. "You can't!"

Another sigh followed and Tsunade glanced at her, giving Shizune her best reassuring response, "I'll buy you time. At least I can distract them while you tear through the Hall of Records." She winked and walked away with a shinobi at her left and right.

They parted at the opening in a fence and a path leading into the park. In the center, there was the tall tree Sakura had stayed in. The leaves had finally all fallen to the ground, starting the cycle into spring. But the branches seemed dull in color. The tree didn't quiver or sway in an occasional breeze nor did it sigh in the warming sun. The young trees around it rejoiced in the afternoon heat, but the old mother was still. She was dead.

* * *

Naruto's body was drawn tight, ready to spring wherever he had to. His eyes were staring right at the shinobi's feet. He'd mastered fighting a Genjutsu strategy long ago while training in Konoha, yet it hadn't been of any use until this moment.

Itachi was standing in a very relaxed manner. His black hair was tucked safely into his hood but his bangs still fell out, uncontrollable because his forehead protector was absent from its usual position. The man took one step closer and Naruto's hands flew up ready to cast a ninjutsu.

Itachi stopped immediately. "Naruto-kun, I have no intention of fighting you."

Naruto laughed, "Like I'd believe you."

A pair of shadow clones leapt out of the trees and attached Itachi from behind; the shinobi quickly dispatched them with two kunai and went back to his calm demeanor. "There are still many things you don't know, Uzumaki Naruto." He took one step and Naruto leapt in the air. From the shade of trees, clones threw a wave of kunai. The cloud engulfed Itachi and Naruto smirked. Itachi wouldn't escape so easily while being hit from all angles. The Jinchuuriki landed on a limb and searched in the aroused dust. There was no figure to uncover, just a pile of metal.

From above, loud cawing pierced the blue. Naruto's attention rose to the treetops where a storm of thousands of crows circled him.

He cursed silently and created a clone. They pushed off the wood, launching into the forest. In their united hands Naruto created a Rasengan and glanced back. The birds were fluttering feet away from him.

The shinobi broke away from his clone, leaving him with the jutsu spinning in the dummy's grasp, and hurried out of the way as the wind power went out of control, heaving the birds into a miniature tornado. The clone threw them into the earth and the rock and roots shattered like glass beneath his feet.

Naruto looked at the whirlwind where crows littered the ground. Through the dust, the cloud of black emerged again. Naruto planted explosives on the trees as the remaining hundreds began catching up. The already barren and burning woods ignited once more and the shinobi escaped from Itachi's minions.

The blonde created a handful of clones and they dispatched to search the area in case Itachi was still near. Naruto stopped by a tree trunk and took a deep breath. He placed a hand to his ear and felt sticky blood dripping from it.

He almost laughed. _No wonder he snuck up on me…_ He took down his hand and looked at the red on his fingertip.

Abruptly, it turned pitch black and the shinobi's eyes flickered up.

"No."

Itachi was standing there, across the clearing, and a dozen crows soared right at Naruto, encasing him in a Genjutsu.

The world's colors faded, oozing out of the cracks of creation and into gray.

_Naruto landed on the hard ground, covered in warm, summer grass. He searched his surroundings; it wasn't the same place as before. Then again, anything's possible in an illusion._

_Itachi answered his thoughts. "_An illusion can show more truth than reality,_"_ _Itachi's voice echoed in his head. "_And you're running out of time._"_

* * *

Tsunade walked into the Hokage's meeting room. On the small couch in the center of that room sat Koharu and Homura. Their gaze bore into hers.

"What have you done, Tsunade?" She didn't answer. "Call them back." The woman shook her head. "If you call them back now, their lives will be spared."

She sighed. Tsunade knew it would come to this. They never intended to find an agreement. Sai's hopeful wish was as lost as the council's capacity for compassion.

"There is still time. You can redeem yourself and live in peace away from the village. You'd like that wouldn't you, Tsunade-sama?" Homura smiled sweetly and lifted his shaking hand to touch hers.

"Don't try and butter my up." She glared at him, taking away her hand. "I am not your tool anymore. And neither is this village. These people will make their own decisions."

Koharu stood in a fury. "You can tell them what to do. They'll obey you!"

"I no longer have control over them and neither do you. They are free of corrupted leaders like us. They have a power that we can't taint anymore." Tsunade took a step away, preparing to turn and leave, but was met at the door by Danzou.

They were trapped in a glare as he spoke. "Tsunade-hime… It's been a while since I've seen your scowl." His face hung expressionlessly. Through the half shut doors, Tsunade saw her ANBU escorts lying in smeared blood. "It seems that she will not cooperate with us…"He addressed to the two seated elders with a pressing voice. "It's time for judgment."

"Tsunade," Koharu stood and put on a sorry face. "If you still refuse our offer, we have no choice but to persecute you for treason against Fire Country."

Tsunade smiled as she finished for the old woman, "For which the penalty is death…"

Homura shook his head slowly. "It is a shame, but you will have to live a while longer. Until our verdict can be carried out, you will be placed under the surveillance of ANBU Root in house arrest. All of those that remain in this village that will not pledge to our rule will share your ruling. We will not execute until they have declared their loyalty or treachery."

The woman laughed quietly. "That's a lot of people to contain."

Danzou laughed right back, "Then Konoha will serve as your prison." He looked to the three Root agents that stood outside awaiting orders. "No one leaves Konoha. Any ANBU or remaining shinobi are to be killed on sight." Tsunade's eyes widened. "There," He looked back at her with his half shut eyes and grinned, "is that big enough for you?" Tsunade's hand was filling with chakra, but she feared what punishment would be exerted on the villagers if she didn't bend to their wishes.

Koharu and Homura stood and walked out the door. They were replaced by Root nin.

Danzou stayed for a second longer and glared at her. "It's over, Tsunade-hime."

Something in Tsunade's face changed, earning uneasiness in Danzou's uncovered eye. It was all becoming clear. "So it's you… You're the one that's afraid." Her shaking hand became lax. "If you had really won, you wouldn't be so cautious. Are you locking us in? Or keeping somethingout? You won't send your men to kill those escaping because _you_ know what's waiting on the outside." Danzou sneered and snapped his fingers. The Root nin reached for her arms to drag her out. She walked straight ahead without faltering before they could get her and the jailers were forced to trail behind. Danzou couldn't touch her. The council wouldn't let him. _Why hasn't he tried to eliminate the Hokage before? _"I know you, Danzou. You would never risk your own neck and you would _never_ leave yourself unguarded." Her lips shut tightly for a moment. _But he did send out someone. He sent Sai. Just Sai. He sent out a shinobi on the borderline of changing sides. But Sai is also someone Danzou can risk loosing if he fails. _

"What has changed? Why try now?" _Maybe he's tried before… But maybe he failed. Leaving unfinished mission only Sai can resolve. _"I don't know what you've done…But whatever it is," _I have to find out what that mission is._ As she passed Danzou she hissed, "Konoha won't protect you from the consequences. So believe me… it's far from over."

* * *

_The Kyuubi stared through Naruto at what lie in the street. It was the Uchiha district, littered with lifeless people as abundant as the flies above their corpses._

"The country you believe in so dearly is not as good as it seems._" Itachi stepped among the bodies. He was wearing his ANBU uniform covered in their blood and his Konoha headband reflecting the moonlight, the signature scratch through the symbol was not there yet._

_Naruto looked around, moving to the bodies. He tried to touch one but his hand ran right through. "_You can't be saying _we _caused this…_"_

_Itachi let out a tired laugh, "_You say 'we' but you have no idea, do you…_"_

"I won't listen to this… _You _killed these people! These innocent people… you ruined Sasuke's life and you're trying to blame it on the village!?_"_

_The world rewound. In a flicker of images and lights, Naruto was standing in a dark cavern. The ceiling bowled upward and in the center of the room were three chairs. The Third was seated with his advisors behind him. They spoke, but the words were blurred._

_Kneeling down before them was Itachi. His body was quivering. "My father intends to overthrow your council… He is backed by the whole clan. If you don't speak with him-"_

"_It's too late for negotiations." Homura's voice resounded in the hall. "Something must be done."_

_Koharu looked to a silent ANBU guard at her side. "Call for Danzou. We'll use an elite Root group and take out the clan all at once."_

_The memory shuttered and Naruto's head shook dumbly at their words. "_I can't believe it…_"_

"_No. I'll do it."_

_Naruto's disbelief turned to rage as he exploded, "_You _can't_ be serious! It _can't_ be true!!_" His words were larger than life, cracking the illusion. Itachi slowly turned from his position. He stood and began walking toward the exit._

"_Wait." The Third spoke up. "Perhaps we can find another way…"_

_Itachi looked back at their faces. The Third's apologetic smile was terrified. The two on his shoulder were speaking quietly to each other. The Third couldn't hear. Imaginings of what they could be saying fluttered in the room, Itachi's thoughts._

_Naruto couldn't move. Somehow, he understood. He could see what Danzou would do to the clan. He could see the slaughter, the humiliation._

"_If anyone is to exterminate the Uchiha Clan… It will be their prided prodigy." He was toneless as his true voice was too afraid to come out anymore._

_The witness couldn't stand it. Naruto tried to break from the room. "_Let me out! Please! It's a lie… it can't be true…_"_

_In seconds, they returned to the outside._

_Kyuubi twitched. "He's here…" His voice melted into the dream. "Uchiha Madara."_

_Itachi walked to the edge of the village wall and, blocks away, the entrance to the Uchiha district was in sight._

"_It's time. The Uchiha Clan is yours, but do not harm Konoha."_

_A masked man slipped out of the shadows. "I'll come for Konoha later. But for tonight, I'll be satisfied with the Uchiha." Itachi didn't approach him. "I'm guessing you'll want to take care of your immediate family… If I can hold back."_

_Itachi was a silent pillar. The turmoil reflecting on the walls of his illusion was crippling Naruto where he stood. "Just get it done."_

_They vanished. Naruto stayed where he was, listening to the words that passed through Itachi's memory. The screams of the slaughtered, the pleas for mercy, the betrayed rage. The look on his father's face as his son ran a katana through his heart. The defenseless mother, having heard someone on the outside, called for them to run away, to stay away from the murderer._

_The doors opened and Itachi stared into the face of his brother. The child's terror, not any stronger than anyone's before him, was a blow in Itachi's gut. Naruto felt his stomach fall as Sasuke called out to the attacker._

_The images flickered and thoughts flew around in Itachi's subconscious. Memories of being together, laughter, sadness…_

"He can't…_" Naruto's voice pulled him away from the scene. He was standing blocks away once more. The night was soundless._

"_You've seen enough…" Itachi's voice was worn._

_Just before the memory faded away, Naruto saw one last thing prominent in Itachi's mind._

"_Wait!" Sasuke trailed him, his eyes were red with an infant Sharingan. "Wait!"_

_He launched a handful of kunai at his brother. Itachi deflected all but one that hit his forehead protector, shoving it off his head. They stopped in the middle of an empty street with Itachi's back to the boy._

_Slowly he bent down and picked up the fallen item. He glanced over his shoulder, thoughts whizzing around like bugs. Suddenly all were silenced by the face staring at his. Pain and fear swirled in the boy's eyes and Itachi felt something cold slip down his cheek and drip onto the pavement just as Sasuke drifted into unconsciousness. The small body hit the floor with a thump._

_Naruto turned away from the illusion as it drifted into a comparatively pointless memory. It couldn't be real. It couldn't be true. But something in Itachi's mind rang with truth._

…

Itachi stood over Naruto's crumpled body as his breathing evened out. The shinobi didn't have to try to hold Naruto in the illusion anymore; the Jinchuuriki seemed willing to stay for a while longer.

"I know you can hear me…"

Naruto was silent, but inside, his demon stirred.

The man continued. "And I know you have the answer I need." The Kyuubi's ear perked. "What is the Hachibi's weakness."

Naruto's mouth creaked open and a long breath wheezed out. "_Weakness?_" It laughed. "_We have no weakness…_"

"How do I fight it."

The Kyuubi's fur bristled. "_I will fight Yamata no Orochi. It is impossible for you._"

"You do not know how to get to it. I have a way."

Naruto's body twitched. "_Tell me…_"

Itachi's will was unmoving. "How do I fight the Hachibi."

The Kyuubi yawned and its spirit stretched inside the Jinchuuriki. "_It controls chakra. Whatever energy is present will succumb to it. Even the dead can be manipulated._" His tone was almost reluctant but the feeling that a debt had to be repaid for the illusion Itachi had shown them motivated his answer.

"What must I-"

The Kyuubi laughed. "_A human cannot kill it._"

"The Akatsuki has killed seven of the nine. This will not be any different."

His voice was a growl as Naruto's hand jerked in his sleep, as if to strike the Uchiha. "_Don't compare us to those insignificant animals… We are of a different caliber. We are invincible…_"

"If so, how can you hope to win against it."

"_The only threat we face is each other. A human isn't strong enough alone._"

Itachi stared at the sleeping shinobi. He was just as tall as Itachi, just as strong, just as human, but what was trapped inside was the difference between annihilation and victory.

Itachi lifted his head to look around him. There were black crows sitting in trees miles away, searching for any sign that _they_ were listening. He looked back at the wolf in sheep's clothing and declared, "The Akatsuki intended to use you to expose the Hachibi and take it alive. That's the only reason why Naruto-kun has been left alone."

"_So they all know where it is…_"

"…Only those Madara trusts."

"_Madara!?_" The memories Naruto was trapped in all fell into place. Kyuubi was bewildered at the shinobi above him, showing him these things he had been unaware of for so long. The demon stopped, gauging the chances of failure or betrayal, and then answered in a cautious voice. "_What is it you want, Uchiha?_"

Itachi's stark face changed and a confident smirk formed. "I want the Hachibi to lose."

The Naruto's eye lids flickered. "_I can guarantee that. But I need something from you… If I know Madara, he won't like it if I kill his prey. The Sharingan is a powerful tool._"

The Akatsuki cloak fluttered in the breeze and he gave a short chuckle. The Kyuubi watched intently as Itachi's hand closed in on Naruto's face. From the shadows of his fingertips, a crow formed and shot into the shinobi's mouth. A burning fire fought against the Kyuubi's and Naruto's chakra. The demon pushed away the energies and was able to sacrifice a corner of their inner universe for the black bird and its penetrating red eyes.

"This will protect you from Madara, but the Hachibi's Jinchuuriki is my business. If you injure the container, my power will work against you."

"_It has a container? This might be easier than expected…_" The Kyuubi's laugh crackled in Naruto's gaping mouth. "_Don't worry. If you give me the Hachibi, I'll finish the job._"

"It won't be hard to find him."

The beast delved back into the illusion and Naruto's body returned to paralysis. A cold chill went over Itachi's skin as he processed what he had done and his breathing labored for a second. Then in his throat there was a sharp pain and he coughed. His hand flew to his mouth and pulled away slowly, revealing the spray of blood on his palm. With a deal with the devil in place, his fate was even more definite than before.

His eyes narrowed on the blood and his face drew up in anger. He cursed quietly to himself, knowing where all things must lead, and hit his tainted hand on a tree. The bark was harsh against his skin and he slowly pulled away, hiding his hand under the cloak. The words in his head distracted him as he bent beside the Jinchuuriki and lifted him onto his shoulder. His wounded hand clenched under the cloak as those words escaped his tight lips:

"All things must come to an end."

* * *

Sakura's head was drooping on her shoulders as sleep called persistently to her. Her hands were glowing, healing across Sasuke's battered body whose eyes had long since shut.

The kunoichi shook her head, throwing her tiredness away, and took out a blanket from her backpack. After placing it on Sasuke, she paused with her hand on his ribs. His chest rose and she smiled. His lungs had been emptied of all the toxins from smoke and the burnt cavities were back to normal, as were most of his wounds. The medic checked all of the trouble spots once more. His chakra was working its magic on them already, though he had been sucked dry during the battle. Compared to Sakura's slow healing process, Sasuke was superhuman.

The evening was captivating. The moon was hiding in the lingering smoke, but that made the stars clear. They glistened above their heads and shed an eerie light through the trees.

Sasuke was deep in a dream. He stood in a blank world, in nothingness that waited to be filled. The only thing in that nothingness was a voice calling to him. The aggressive words painted the world red and yellow, fire came to life around him.

"_Your reluctance almost killed you… It's time you used the power I've given you."_

Under her hands, Sasuke's body heated up. Sakura checked his forehead again but it yielded no fever. She took the cloth in her pocket and poured water onto it. She padded his face and neck where the heat was steadily climbing to.

Sakura's body abruptly twitched. Inside of her, the Kyuubi's chakra shifted. She hesitated for only a second before mentally pushing away the spasm. But the chakra was acting strangely. The bubbles she had grown accustomed to were spiking across her skin. She tried to move on her own, but the prickling energy held her. The pain spread down her fingertips and the cloth in her hand fell to the ground. She tried to move her fingers, but the chakra stopped her. Control slipped from her hand and it clenched into a fist, then released. She tried to open her mouth but it remained shut. Every vein, every muscle was stiffening. The tendons were being worked like puppet strings. Her body refused to respond as this power wielded her like a rag doll.

The fire around him was sucked into nothingness again and the voice inside of Sasuke's dream faded. Before he could wake, he was pulled deep into an unknown prison.

_The walls looked like melting faces, the coils of a white snake writhed everywhere. It was being consumed by a dark energy, tainting the white with ink. The scales bled green and the color spread like a virus. It was the floor and the ceiling. In the center was Orochimaru, hiding in the only piece of white remaining. Sasuke looked around at the mesh of coils and walked toward Orochimaru's small form. One last white snake weaved around his body, protecting what he had left._

"_What is this." Sasuke's voice made every movement stop in its tracks. Orochimaru stared at him through his black hair and smiled._

"_There's nothing you can do now… Nothing… It will devour you."_

Sakura lifted her head with all of the might she could muster and searched for an attacker. The forest didn't show her one. She peered closer, in case someone was hiding in the shadows, and chakra infested her senses. As if on command, her eyes cleared up. Her core was getting warm and she couldn't no longer feel the chilly night around her. It lit up her vision so her could, for a moment, see an insect on a tree hundreds of feet away. She could feel vibrations from all living things barely moving in their sleep across the whole country. She tried to breath and the sound burst her eardrums. Her body twitched again and, like a switch, the power turned off.

The spiking chakra released her body and the kunoichi gasped. She dropped to the ground and the Kyuubi's chakra gained control once more. It instantly began balling in her back and swirling as if enraged by the visitor. Suddenly, the air was cold again and she pulled her knees into her chest. The bubbles began to undulate, throwing her into an unbearable wave of flames. The pain was nothing in comparison to the disconcert loss of control. She wanted anything but the pain. She looked inside for the empowering spirit but it had vanished.

She tried to push the Kyuubi away and pulled herself up. She dragged her paralyzed legs behind her and flopped her hand across the log, feeling for her bottle of anesthetic she had used on Sasuke. She threw the useless ones into her open bag until she found the small vile. She couldn't remember opening it or drinking from it, but seconds later, a soothing cold expanded from within her and she dropped.

As the pain went under a drug induced veil, Sakura curled into a ball. In seconds, she was asleep.

…

It was far into the morning before Sasuke rose. He looked around for a moment, remembering where he was and his head lolled to the side. He stared directly into the sun's rays and quickly shut his eyes, turning away again. When he wanted to turn over, the blanket caught on something and almost pulled off. The air bit at his exposed skin so he rolled back and peered over his shoulder at what had snagged it. There was a sleeping woman balled up on his side.

His initial reaction was to move but the cold ground was not the popular choice. He stared at her face and his eyes adjusted to the light. Her mouth was barely open and she snored quietly. It was higher pitched, more like a whistle that the earthquake noises he once heard from Naruto. Her hair fell into her face and, if not for the vibrant color and her girlish features, she could be mistaken for a boy. Then again, the majority of her full grown body would be altered before Sasuke could see her as anything but a woman. He looked closer at how her mouth was set. She had contentment plastered on her face and he mumbled something grumpily. It was like she had intentionally tackled him in her sleep.

He tried taking the blanket from under her. Sakura reacted by stretching her legs out and scooting two inches closer, clinging to his warmth. He sighed and sat up, arms he had been unaware of tighten around his waist. He yanked the blanket away, observing her temporary shock, then turned the blanket over to trap in the heat and placed it on her. Sakura adapted to the cloth as if she never knew cold. Sasuke shook his head. She was ignorant even when unconscious. He pulled her arms off of him and stood. Blood immediately rushing to his feet and Sasuke staggered to the log. He saw the cloak he had discarded during the fight folded neatly on it. After Sasuke put it on, he sat. Sakura's slumber was indestructible. Though the light was shinning right on her face, she didn't move or wake. That night must have been a long one.

The night before wasn't as easy to remember as he had hoped. He placed a hand to his forehead. The fever he vaguely recalled had died down. Not only that, most of his wounds were healed. They were well dressed but the excessive bandaging on his limbs was becoming a nuisance. The shinobi rolled up his sleeve and began unwrapping. Underneath, the large burn that should have been there was completely healed. To make it more impossible, his skin was unmarred. Even old scars where the brandishing had been were gone. Sakura's whistling snore paused while she turned over. The medic's work was flawless.

The sky had scarcely any clouds in it and the remains of his fight with Deidara had all disappeared. But something had woken up in the chaos. Inside Sasuke's head, there was that small voice still trying to gain his attention.

Memories of the dream last night activated and began running over in his head. He put his head in his hand and tried to make sense of it. Whatever was taking Orochimaru's place wasn't trying to control him like the curse seal would. He could barely feel its presence. But the fact that it had successfully overcome a Sannin loomed over him like a shadow.

There was a quiet shuffling on the ground. Sakura tightened the blanket around her body and sighed. Her eyes opened and found herself staring at the clear sky. The light was warm and comforting. She took a few deep breaths of the morning air and sat up. Her hands felt a little numb, more from the after affects of anesthetic than the cold. The strange chakra was long gone, thankfully, and her body was refreshed. The Kyuubi's presence was calmer now that it had let off some steam.

She felt eyes on her and stood, taking the blanket off the ground. Against the log leaned Sasuke. He looked tired and still very weak. At least his energy was in much better condition, though it seemed the aftereffects of passing the limits were still lingering.

Just seeing him awake made her smile a little, "How are your injuries?"

"They're almost healed." He presented his arm as proof and she sighed with relief.

"That's good. I did the best I could to prevent scaring. Are there any places I missed?" She took a step toward him but stared past his head. North. The cordial pretence dissolved. Naruto and Tobi were in that forest along with who knows how many other Akatsuki. Sasuke ignored her question and trailed her line of sight.

"Naruto went north, right?" Sasuke took her startled glance as an answer.

His temporary plan to bring out Itachi came to mind. "No." So, she lied to him. "Why are you out here? Where's the rest of your team?"

Sasuke knew before he asked where Naruto was. Sakura was just being stubborn. "My best guess is that they're trying to find me." He stood again and Sakura turned to face him. "And if Naruto is here, so is Itachi. That's why I'm here."

"Really?" She shook her head, like he had no idea. "What happens if Naruto is captured? Will you find your brother then?"

"I can beat them there. Naruto is hard to lose if you know where to look."

She felt like a child fighting with Ino. "You don't know Naruto anymore. He won't get caught by the Akatsuki and he won't be found by you." Her tongue hit the back of her teeth, that's all that kept her from making a face at him.

Sasuke didn't answer. He stared at her furiously, grabbing her bag off the ground and shoving it into her arms. "If you're so confident in that, lead the way."

"I'll find Naruto alone." Her shoulders straightened and her voice was drenched in sarcasm. "I don't need you to slow me down."

"Slow _you_ down… Last time you tried on your own, I found you half dead in a pile of snow two countries away from him." His response overlapped hers. "I can't imagine where you'll end up this time."

He said it in such a matter-of-fact way that made Sakura' eyebrows knit together in frustration. She started to turn, ready to walk away the minute her comeback was said. "It's good to know where you stand… I was beginning to think you _worried_ about him."

He rolled his eyes, "What happens to Naruto is none of my business. I am indifferent."

Her attention drew back to him. Her exhausted patience had finally hit the floor and the filter she had been so careful to keep up around the impulsive Uchiha turned off. "But you hate your brother right?"

Sasuke pushed off the log. "That isn't the same thing."

"Yes it is!" She threw down her bag. The items inside clinked. "You can't hate someone and be indifferent at the same time."

"I don't care about Naruto." His voice was toneless and final.

"You hate your brother because he killed your family. If you were indifferent to your family, would you have a reason to track him for all these years?" Her words scraped under his skin and he towered over her. "You hate him because you loved your family. Hate and love are based off the same thing. If you hate, you are _not_ indifferent."

He held back the roar he wanted so much to unload and controlled his volume. "I am indifferent to you."

She was winning. "Then why did you come back?" Her clear green eyes looked right into his.

"What?"

It wasn't hope. It was certainty that lifted her chin. She didn't fear Sasuke's reaction. She didn't have a need to. "Why did you come back and save me? I want to know."

Sasuke didn't answer. He stared down at her confidence and growing smile. If he was indifferent, he shouldn't be angry when she won. Sakura's stubbornness had flushed her face. Her carefree hair floated like a sea of feathers. Her ears were red where the cold nipped them and her coat was wrapped around her tightly. She was an idiot through and through.

"I went back because I wanted to."

Her eyes brightened. "Then why did you thank me yesterday?" He looked lost and she laughed. "You thanked me yesterday; I want to know what you were thinking."

The feverish memories he had forgotten came into awareness like the curtain had been pulled away. He remembered just what he was thinking, what he said, and what he had done. He was speechless.

She was smug. Completely smug. But her curiosity blared in his face, stronger than the blush that rose on her cheeks.

"I was thinking about the people who aren't indifferent to me."

Her mouth sputtered out of control. "What about Naruto? You found him in the Sound Base and you didn't use him as bait. Was it because of that?"

"Yes."

A strange relief passed over her and she dropped her head. She let out a breathy laugh. Sasuke stood, waiting for the last question. It was on the tip of her tongue. It had been since the beginning. "A while back…" She murmured into her chest. "When you were leaving the village… You thanked me. Was that for the same reason?"

"Yes."

"You thanked me because," It hurt to say it aloud. "I love you." For the longest time, she thought it was out of hate and bitterness that she searched for him so fervently. But it's like she herself said: Hate and love are based off the same thing.

Sasuke didn't move. She couldn't hear him breathing. She couldn't hear her heels dig into the ground as she walked to the discarded bag behind her. She checked the contents just in case something had broken. But her interest wasn't really on the small bottles and ointments. Her heart was pitter-pattering like a rabbit's and it was because of the tall, rude, perplexing man behind her. He couldn't have really believed in a twisted soul like Orochimaru. Then again, he had changed. He was older. He was more mature. His words were stronger and more honest. Sasuke had lived through things she could only imagine, and he was still Sasuke.

She lifted her head and let it fall back. She looked at the blue skies and let out a sigh. When she let it relax again, he was waiting at the forest edge ahead of her. She tied a scarf around her neck and pulled the hood over her head. She panted a little, nervous for what waited ahead.

The morning was crisp, but it smelt of a new season. Sakura took in a deep breath of it. When she jogged to his side, he looked at her briefly. And under the folds of fabric, her smile grew wide. He hadn't said it aloud, but, just like his family was his reason to fight, Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi were his reason to live.

...

Together, they ran forward.

* * *

Eien No Kessoku

* * *

This concludes Eien No Kessoku. I won't be starting the sequel until '09 sometime.

Thank you all so much for your contribution to my existence… hehe. I hope you aren't mad at me for ending it so suddenly, but I have my reasons. The sequel will be up and running before you know it.

My top reviewers for EnoK are: xX-Arianna-hime-Xx, Merridane, Tip Of The Top Hat, youbrokeapromise (it acted up when I types the periods, so I left them out), and Rogue Rikku.

Credit goes to roxnroll and youbrokeapromise for being my century reviewers! And even more stuff and fluff goes to the person who was not only my _first_ reviewer, but also the most committed.

The most committed viewer is: xX-Arianna-hime-Xx… Ari-chan, you're amazing! Not only was she a top reviewer, favorite-ed, **and** alerted this story… I can't begin to express how happy I am. It's amazing that I'm able to entertain people so thoroughly through a story on the internet.

Again, thank all of you for reading my fan fiction. Even if your name isn't up there, I really appreciate all of your dedication and interest. I hope to hear from you in the future and that you'll read on in the next story.

Next Chapter will be in…

**Eien no Kessoku: Gouka**

It is time to reap what has been sewn. War has begun and Karma's Wrath is unleashed. None are spared, none are left alive. But some will step off the predicted path. The chain will be broken. The innocent will make their stand at the edge of the world.

IAmNotANut

°-w-°


	21. Epilogue: Gouka

Hello all! I'm back!

The sequel to Eien no Kessoku is officially up. It's title is Eien no Kessoku: Gouka (Eternal Bonds: The Results of Karma). It is a direct continuation where a week or so has passed. It took months of planning and such, but I finally have it on its feet! What a relief. You think I was a fanatic in EnoK? Wait until you read Gouka... It's sad really.

...

Eien No Kessoku: Gouka

Rating: M. Once again there will be violence and disturbing imagery. Foul language is a possibility. Shmut (lemon/lime) probably not, but I'm all for fluff! Terror, gore, sailor tongue, Yeah… whatnot.

I don't really have pairings since this isn't a super romantic piece, but in Gouka, you'll be seeing more in depth things. Concepts and ideas that lead to character development and the development of relationships. Some of the things I put these guys through.... I'm pure evil.

Out of the estimated 18 chapters, 11 have Sasuke and Sakura in them. 8 have Naruto. 14 out of 18 have fight scenes and 10 (probably more) will have fluff. Sasuke and Sakura are still the main focus, even though there are many levels and conflicts to cover. Even if SasuSaku isn't in the chapter, they are all very important and I spent a lot of time writing them. Characters and their relationships are often paralleled to SasuSaku later in the story so pay attention!

This is a little preview. It portrays the mood of the fic… I promise there is comedy. It's just more fun to scare you.

...

Gaara stood back, his gourd of sand was tied to his back by a black cloth and dark paint was splattered over the subtly signs that once covered it. At closer inspection, one would recognize it as something more sinister, but no one dared to. Everyone was a killer. The Kazekage was no different.

...

Naruto's eyes opened and the world blinded him. Every sense was tingling with awareness and a thrill ran through him. Finally he had escaped that numbed stupor. Out of the excitement birthed from such a small fact, he turned his blue orbs on the light again, hoping that it wouldn't reject him this time.

He stared into the light brown wood of an antique ceiling. With his first deep inhale he tasted the musty, cluttered room, and the perfume of ointments. The dusted air stirred and his clear eyes watched the particles summersault in the sun beams shining from an unknown source. The warmth that it created on his face and torso was intoxicatingly soothing. What a glorious state it was, being awake.

His mind was blurry. What had happened to him?

The man could see those red clouds. The last thing his memory had registered. The Akatsuki. The organization that wanted him dead. The organization that needed his accursed demon. Fear of the unknown was spinning like a top in his head. Did the Akatsuki have him? He reached for his stomach. His hand twitched as it moved. The sleeping paralysis hadn't yet lifted, but he made it. He felt the seal. Where was the demon's energy? Had it been taken yet? Had he miraculously lived? Or were they healing him so he would live long enough for the extraction? Where was that voice and face? Where were those dead eyes of a killer?

Where was Itachi.

"Are you awake."

...

Pain watched another fall further into betrayal, into heresy. They vanished into the shadows of the buildings. A feeling rose in Pain's throat. It was the feeling a God received when hope in his creations faded. It was the hate and rage that could destroy worlds. And he would. He would destroy worlds. He would destroy every path that greed and retribution had put them on. He would destroy it before those traitors could be satisfied, so they would feel the crippling defeat that they deserved. They could share his pain.

...

Chouji quickly embraced her as well, big and tight. He couldn't say any more. The next words they uttered would break her.

They both took steps back to see if she would move. She didn't. She stared at the ground, lost in though.

Shikamaru exhaled and breathed. "Please be safe." The two turned. "Bye, Ino."

She stood numbly as they became only dots in her peripheral. Other's came to her side, giving her directions to the med tent. She took steps, but she couldn't feel impact with the ground. All she could register was the feeling of their arms around her as they abandoned her. The sound of Tsunade's voice as her idol pushed her away. Sakura's letter as her best friend fled from her.

There was one strong memory. The last sight of one man. The last touch: cold hand, toneless voice, furrowed brow, pale skin, bitter eyes, and tight lips. The last moment when he broke her heart. When Sai broke her heart.

Turned away from. Abandoned, pushed, and broken. Her team, her idol, her friend, and him.

They all fell from her fingers once again and glinted light, burning her eyes with tears, and shattered like glass at her feet.

...

It spread through her like wild fire. She couldn't breathe. There wasn't enough oxygen in the air. She gasped and gasped, but there wasn't any to be found. She clawed at her throat. The pain in her stomach and shoulder were nothing compared to the shrieking she longed to release.

There was no air.

Her chest swelled and throbbed, but nothing came in. She couldn't hear the wheezing or the gurgling she was making. She was only conscious of the fact that there was nothing in her lungs.

"_PLEASE!!!_"

Her wild eyes sought him out. She found her way to her knees and tore at his legs.

"_MAKE IT STOP!!!_"

An idea hit him and he reached down to her.

"I told you…"

"_MAKE IT STOP!!!_"

"…I couldn't help you." His hand rested on her head as it jerked back and forth with the movements of her clenched diaphragm.

"_HELP ME!!!_"

His fingers slowly slid into her hair and knotted themselves there. Tight.

He slung her to the side into the trunk of a tree. What air she had gathered was thrust out in a huff.

"Should I just kill you?"

Her body sank to the ground. His fingers felt blood. Maybe he had pulled too hard.

"_YES!!! PLEA—_"

He swung her again and she slid over the medical tools he had laid out. He dragged her over them and they shredded her.

He let go with her half in the air and she shot away from him. When she stopped, her form slacked. Her hands were wrapped around her stomach, punching the muscle with a weak fist. She was trying to force in breath.

He smiled. And watched.

…

EnoK: Gouka is now up! I'm sorry if you've waited a while. Things are really heating up. The problems in EnoK are so small in light of the devistation awaiting you in Gouka! Enjoy, I will look forward to your support in the future.

IAmNotANut


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